WoF: Black Ice
by BizmuthTheRainwing
Summary: An IceWing born with unnatural powers comes to Jade Mountain, in hope of finding friends. As he arrived, a strange threat asks him and his friends for something that they do not know of, and they are forced to give it otherwise they are killed. Will he be able to save them...or will it be too late? Rated T for mild swearing. Rate and Review, please! (It's my first story.)
1. Black Ice-Prologue

_Prologue_

_A white dragon was flying through the icy wind, blowing against her pristine scales. She turned back, seeing a blue IceWing fighting three ruthless, completely gray IceWings, who had the blue IceWing_ _pinned down. The IceWing was bleeding profusely, and to end the suffering, one of the grey dragons lifted a claw and-_

_She looked back. She didn't want to see her friend die like this. "I've only got one mission, which is getting this blue egg to a safe haven," she mumbled. She couldn't help but chuckle at what she said, because a safe haven sounded absurd in a situation and in an environment like this. The blue egg was quite abnormal, with blue swirls all over it and white flecks dotting the egg, as if a blizzard was occurring on the eggshell. The egg had frost on the top, and solid ice had formed at the bottom of the egg, signifying a special characteristic that she just couldn't decipher._

_As she tightened her talons over the egg, she noticed that the egg was cracking. "Oh shit, this can't be happening! Not now you stupid dragonet!" she accidentally shouted, due to the vigor that shot through her veins.. She regretted what she said, especially the last part, but she shook her head to clear the thoughts, and turned her head. The grey dragons were still following her, but they didn't hear what she shouted, due to the howling winds of the icy storm._

_She couldn't take it anymore. Her wings were aching during the strenuous flight, and she decided to land in what seemed an icy wasteland, an occasional snow owl or a wolf appearing and disappearing as fast it came. She placed the egg in the snow, burying it deep inside to protect it from the grey IceWings. _

_She looked at the egg one last time, with a look of hope and worry, as if that would help the dragonet to hatch a more sensible time. She covered the egg with snow, whispering her goodbyes, and she flew aggressively towards the three dragons._

_Claws immediately raked against her scales, inflicted by the IceWIng who looked the weakest of the three. She roared in pain and spun around, immediately slapping her wing on the IceWIng's face. _

_The IceWing stumbled back, and she took the opportunity and choked him, grasping his jaw to prevent him from using his frostbreath, and she used her thumb claw to blind him. He tried to roar in pain, but what came out was nothing. _

_She dropped the IceWings dead body onto the icy environment and decided to turn around to check on the other two IceWings. She immediately noticed one IceWing, trying to scout of where the egg was, but she sighed in relief as the dragon was looking in the wrong direction, even polarly opposite to the general area of the egg. She was way too distracted though, and the other IceWing was hovering behind her._

_She toned her ears, and she heard a faint hiss and wings flapping behind her, but she didn't move for now, in an attempt to lure the IceWing to use his deadliest weapon._

_The IceWing immediately shot his frostbreath, and she barely dodged it by rolling over. Unfortunately, the frost breath hit the tip of her right wing, and she winced in the chilling, burning pain of it. She gritted her teeth, and immediately stormed into the gray IceWing, talons outstretched._

_This IceWing was surprisingly smart however, contrasted to the IceWing earlier. He dodged the attack easily, by strafing to the right. The blue IceWing crashed onto the snow, and she heaved herself up and shot a look full of daggers at the gray IceWing._

_They were interrupted by the other IceWing shouting, "Alpine, the egg is nowhere to be found. Shall we kill the IceWng or interrogate her?" _

_"We'll discuss it later Sleet. Bring your ass here and he help me fight this damned IceWing!" He retorted._

_Huh, their names are Alpine and Sleet. That's nice to know, I guess, the blue IceWing thought. She used this moment to her advantage and slit Alpine's neck with her claw, and the look on that IceWing was of pure hate, and was going to haunt the blue IceWings dreams forever, if she even lived. Sleet was the real deal however._

_Sleet charged into the blue IceWing, who fell down to the sheer bulk of the Icewing. Sleet tore the IceWIng's wing, and she roared in pain and threw him off. They circled around each other for a few moments, but Sleet decided to break the silence and lunged at the blue Icewing. She expected this however, and she put one of her claws up and rolled to the side, inflicting a deep wound onto Sleet's underbelly._

_He roared in pain, and then quickly sliced the blue IceWIng's neck. She knew she was going to die, and she wouldn't let him live. She was desperate, and her claws did not have enough strength due to the extreme pain. Having no other choice, she pulled out her own esophagus and wrapped it around Sleet's neck, tugging it, which was easier. _

_They both struggled before they both died, one from asphyxiation and the other from blood loss. Their bloodied corpses were laid onto the ice before them, and a slightest hint of the fight would soon be rendered obsolete as the blizzard would bury them underneath the snow that would pile up in the aftermath of the storm._

_Little did they know, a SkyWing wrapped in warm clothing, harbouring a diamond necklace was watching them intently, before flying to the area where the egg was buried._

_This is going to be fun, the strange SkyWing thought ominously, before flying off in the opposite direction to evade the majority of the blizzard, her talons wrapped around the strange egg._

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**Author's Notes:**

**Hopefully y'all enjoyed the chapter! This is my first story, so please, read and review. Constructive criticism is much needed! Updates may be wonky, but I'll get more frequent once I get used to it. Bizmuth Out!**


	2. Chapter 1

Sub-Zero was not a normal dragon. Compared to other dragons, except the IceWings, he was quite the anomaly, being the only one who harboured his powers. He clearly wasn't an animus, far from it even. His power, revolved around the the fact that he didn't have the usual IceWing frostbreath and was concentrated into something else that no one could have imagined.

The absence of the frostbreath was not gone without a replacement, which was unique. He had the ability to control ice, forming it out of the air using the water vapor, and using it to make tools or weapons, depending on what he needed at the moment. He usually used these powers for getting around quickly, for example making an icy path that he could skate across, without having to put too much effort. He rarely used this for fighting, but his SkyWing parents insisted that he must take combat lessons, which now he is a great fighter, but not very bulky. Unfortunately, his SandWing trainer had died due to a horrible condition, and had grown more quiet over the years, as his parents noticed, which is why they sent him off to Jade Mountain Academy.

He had white scales, with jagged spikes that resembled the icy cliffs back in his homeland, which he had barely seen. He had a whip thin tail that trailed off to a bluish-white colour near the tip, and he had a blue underbelly that was in the medium of being pale and vibrant. Due to his abilities, he was colder than most IceWings, but not by much.

Due to this, when the warmer air was exhaled out of his body onto his cold aura, whenever he talked, mist surrounded his face and the only thing that dragons could see was his jetblue eyes looking through the mist. His SkyWing parents asked an animus SeaWing to create a special mask around his mouth only, so that the mist wouldn't shroud his face.

The mask was high quality leather, with black leather straps that was hard to distinguish from the rest of the mask. The most accentuated feature was that it had a line going through it, with small branches off of it, which could go unnoticed to an untrained eye. The line had a bright, icy blue filling, made of a special substance that was created by the animus SeaWing, and when his parents asked what it was, the SeaWing wouldn't tell, so his parents left him at that. This mysterious substance made sure that he was still at his usual cold temperature, for he would sweat and that would be very uncomfortable for an IceWing, especially for one that was colder by the other IceWings, even if by a bit.

He was not very bulky, relying on his cryomantic abilities and quick attacks to defeat an opponent. He did not like killing, or fighting other dragons for that matter. He would rather talk to the offending dragon and solve things that way. If they did not cooperate after multiple tries, he would not hesitate to fight, but he would always try not to kill, unless they were a very major threat.

_Sub-Zero's POV_

I was slowly flying on my way to Jade Mountain Academy. My wings ached due to the distance from Possibility, but I pushed myself until I reached the academy, which I hoped wasn't far from now.

I was never given a map, not even given the chance to ask for one. My parents said that I needed to become more aware of my surroundings, and thus they sent me off in the general direction of the academy.

I looked back, and saw a bunch of dragons and their dragonets flying their way to the academy. I really did not know where it was, so I decided to fly with the mob of these dragons and use them to get to my destination.

I whisked away into the wind, semi-enjoying the nice air currents that swept me along to Jade Mountain. I couldn't wait to get there, to take actual classes, as I had a passion for science, although I wasn't allowed to study it, and even if I was able, no one in Possibility was very good at science. After all, if you were a professor or a scientist, you wouldn't live in Possibility, as it was a quite 'ghetto' area, as he liked to call it.

At the same time, I felt insanely nervous, my head starting to pound from all the stress, but I continued on forward, knowing that there was a treasure ahead of me.

_A few hours later…_

I could now clearly see the Claws of the Cloud Mountains, their jagged and sharp peaks piercing the sky, and I was musing on how accurate and good of a name it was. I flew on forward, putting a little more pressure on my wings and leaned them forward, to gain a little bit more speed as my wings were starting to tremble from pain.

I spotted Jade Mountain, and angled myself downward, and flapped my wings hard, and then curled my wings around my body, mimicking a homing missile. Using my outstretched claws, I quickly made thin blocks of ice that wouldn't hurt me too much as I smashed right through them, the feeling making me feel relieved and all the while giving me sense of euphoria.

I finally landed. It wasn't graceful by any means, as I mimicked a homing missile, so after breaking all the ice I just rolled over on my side multiple times, encasing myself in a thin layer of ice that would help protect my wings and body from receiving too much scratches and bruises, while the friction caused by my rolling would force me to stop eventually.

I got up, making the ice around be me vaporize into thin air with a simple flick of my claws. I took in the surroundings around me.

The entrance to the mountain was really big, and lit with torches on the walls, many of them, and I could only imagine how many torches would have to be put for the entire Academy. The humongous cave entrance was crowded with dragons pouring in and out, smaller and bigger dragonets going in, and could guess that the smaller ones were new, while the older ones were returning for their next year. The full grown dragons, presumably adults and guardians, were going out hastily, saying their goodbyes as they took off.

I pushed my way through the crowd of dragons, but not after receiving angry mutters such as "Watch it, IceWing," or "Get out of the way," and I paid no heed to them as I continued shoving through the crowd.

Finally, I made it through the crowd of dragons and sighed. _Hopefully it isn't like this inside, _I thought ominously. I was here two days early before the lessons and classes started, and the days were designated days for the new students to check what is around by themselves, and the respective 'winglets' would be assigned tomorrow.

I couldn't help but feel quite nervous, as it was my first time attending the academy, but I was used to the usual hustle and bustle here, as I experienced this in Possibility as well.

I walked through the hallways, glancing around me every so often. The hallway was quite big, and small secondary caves were there, probably for classes and the winglets residence, although it was closed for now as classes started day after tomorrow, and they had to get ready with no interruptions.

I looked ahead of me, and realized that all tribes were here, and all I could see ahead of me were a mix of black, red, white, blue, brown, green, yellow, and every colour of he rainbow, probably displayed by the RainWings that were excited to come here, or even nervous.

Many of the dragons put their wings over their eyes to be shielded from the bright light and the merged colors, but being an IceWing, I was naturally able to withstand the brightness.

_I just realized, if there are going to be this many dragons, I'll probably have to mingle with a good chunk of them, and I'm not very socially adept, _I thought. A shiver went through my spine, and I was starting to get really anxious, and I didn't realize that I was unintentionally creating a trail of ice below me, a clear sign that I was getting nervous and anxious. _I hope it doesn't happen when I'm talking, I certainly don't want other dragons to know that I'm nervous at that moment._

I usually could grip very slippery ice, but the palms of my talons wer becoming sweaty, and I wasn't able to clean it off and my usual strong grip had been diminished. I immediately slipped, and my worst nightmare flashed through my head. _Embarrassing myself before school even started. _I sighed, and the worst part was that I seemed to slide into the direction of the trash bin, and I could do nothing about it. I prepared for the worst, and I closed my eyes and grimaced as I hit the trash bin.

_**CRASH!**_

I was laying on my underbelly, and the trash bin was over me, its contents scattered all over my body. Fish, animal bones, paper, and things that I didn't recognize completely engulfed me, and the heavy trash bin was over my back legs, and I couldn't get up.

I winced, and then I looked around me helplessly, noticing that some dragons were whispering, snickering, or simply acting like as if they didn't see me. I waited, waited, and waited until someone decided to help me up, and finally, someone did.

A striking NightWing dragoness approached me, and grabbed my by my talons. She heaved me up with one talon, and I was astonished at how strong she was. As I brushed off some dirt off of me, I looked at her.

She had pristine black scales, with small spikes that went down her neck and back. Her underbelly was such a dark grey that unless seen under extensive brightness, it would appear to be jet black. Her eyes were a vibrant green, which was unusual for a NightWing. Her back legs were lean like mine, but her front talons, were muscular and so was her chest, as if she had been practicing to fight for many years, and she was a bit smaller than me.

She noticed me staring at her, and I blushed and looked away. I regained my composure, and faced her and scratched my head timidly.

"Thank you for helping out of that mess...uhhhh.."

"It's Blackout." She stated, and her voice was smooth and soft, like a songbird, but more dragonlike.

"Blackout." I finished, giving a genuine smile. She looked at me intently before asking,

"What's your name?"

"It's Sub-Zero," he said, and she nodded her head in acknowledgement. She asked me a few questions, and I answered them honestly, not sure why I was opening up to a strange dragon that I met just now. Something about her was just so...enticing.

I continued answering her questions, and then out of nowhere, she dropped a bombshell.

"Why is your voice so icy? I mean it sounds badass, but it sounds like ice is in your throat. Are you sick or is that normal?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side, a clear sign that she was confused.

I had no idea how to answer her question, so I showed her a small demonstration of my powers, and she gasped in awe, her mouth agape.

"It's just my voice. I'm guessing it has to do with my ability, but otherwise I really don't know. And thanks for the compliment," I stated flatly. I heard a faint sound of a gong, and I presumed that it meant that I had to head to a sleeping area.

She seemed to hear it too, as she tilted her head, and her ears perked upwards, a natural instinct for dragons to concentrate and pinpoint the exact location on where they heard sounds from.

"Well, goodbye then. It was nice meeting you. See you tomorrow!" She said excitedly, which could be indicating that she enjoyed my presence. I told her that I would also be looking forward to meeting her tomorrow, and I said my final thanks as we parted, each of us walking in the opposite direction of each other.

I was tired, and it was almost night time. I hastily walked to a small cavern, that was currently uninhabited, and I laid down on the cold, rocky floor, my talons in front of me while my tail was curled protectively around myself. I was uncomfortable, as I usually slept on a silk carpet that was cooled to well, sub zero temperatures, and as I thought that, I couldn't help but chuckle at my own, small joke. I tossed and turned until I found a good sleeping position, and sighed in satisfaction.

I yawned, signifying that my body was tired, and I fell asleep in no time, dreaming about the things I would do tomorrow, and what my winglet would look like. Little did I know, tomorrow would be one of the most impactful things that I did in Jade Mountain Academy.

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**Author's note: I haven't received any reviews yet, which I'm worried about, but I made a new chapter that I hope you enjoyed. Constructive criticism is much needed, and just drop a review as it makes me feel accomplished. Bizmuth Out!**


	3. Chapter 2

_Sub-Zero's POV_

I yawned, quite loudly I presumed, as I heard the sound ricochet off the empty walls of the small cavern. I stretched my body, stretching out my tail and and flexed my claws, sighing in satisfaction.

I humbly walked out of the cave, trying to pinpoint where I was, and I found myself to the left of where the winglet pamphlets were going to be given out, although the stall and all the scrolls were getting ready.

I put this into my head, and as I did this, something dawned upon me. _I don't have any friends yet, _I thought, _and Mom and Dad are going to be quite angry. _I thought this aloud, and I wasn't aware of it until quite a few dragons looked at me oddly, and then I realized my mistake. I paid them no heed, as flashbacks of his mother and father came, about the importance of friends.

I shoved that thought back into my head, not wanting listen to that agonizing speech, which was probably the worst way to spend an hour. My stomach grumbled, and I realized that I hadn't eaten anything except a caribou from the Sky Kingdom, which was about two days ago.

I hastily walked to the place, as I was very hungry, occasionally pushing dragons out of the way, and replying a half-hearted "Sorry!" to them. I continued to push and walk through the crowded hallways, trying to find a sign that indicated the location of the prey center.

I found it, and I quickly followed the directions, and I walked so fast you could practically say that I was running.

_Blackout's POV_

I came out of my cave, stretching quickly, and proceeded to find the prey center. I walked through the crowded hallways, absentmindedly pushing them away, until I spotted a masked face, with the same black leather and the weird blue filling.

_That must've been Sub-Zero, _I thought excitedly, and I was surprised. I quickly shook it off, and proceeded to walk to the prey center. I heard some shouts behind me, and I presumed that it was for someone else, and kept on walking.

"Hey!" Said a voice. "Stop," another voice threatened. I ignored them, but I froze at a voice that sounded authoritative and commanding, and it said "Stop right there, NightWing." I turned back, wanting to know what it wanted from me, and to get it over with.

Surprisingly, the dragon the threat concerned was not me, but rather a NightWing that was a few wingspans ahead of me, and the dragon seemed to be running away from them, holding something strange in her talons. _I wonder what that something was, _I thought, but now that I knew they didn't concern me, I proceeded to continue to walk to the prey center, putting on the most normal gait I could, to just put a good impression of myself, and I didn't want to show off that I was an heir, as I found it to be an absolute waste of my time. Being an heir, I really didn't care about it, knowing that Queen Glory was a great queen and that the NightWings were fine with her. _Until the NightWing rebels flamed the north part of the rainforest. Sheesh, way to go NightWings, _I thought, dripping with sarcasm.

I spotted a huge cavern at the end of the hallway, and I knew that it was the prey center, considering the dying and desperate screams that came out of the cavern, and the crunching of bones. As I entered the prey center, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It was a clash between seafoam and mahogany scales, and I knew that it must have belonged to two dragons. I focused my attention to this phenomenon, and it didn't take me long to realize that it was a fight between these two dragons.

I was a little taken aback on what I saw. The dragon with the mahogany colored scales was considerably older than the one with the seafoam colored one, and upon closer inspection, I knew that the one with the mahogany colored scales was an older MudWing, who looked as though he was one year older than me, as I deducted, and I was not sure if he was a recurring student.

The other one was a SeaWing, who looked about two years younger than me, and the SeaWing was no match for the brawns of this MudWing dragonet. I felt a surge of worry flood over me, and I was astonished as to why I felt this way about these two dragons fighting, that I had never met before.

I contemplated my options, which were to either leave this SeaWing dragonet to get beaten up by this MudWing dragonet, or step in and try to break up the fight between these two. I thought that it would be the most prudent method to leave these dragons to fight it out, and the cost of another, but I couldn't help but feel guilty about leaving this SeaWing dragonet, and I made my decision.

I was going to step in.

I pushed the SeaWing aside, albeit quite harshly, and I couldn't help but feel guilty, but I did it for his own good. I squared up to the MudWing, who didn't say a word, and I pushed him backwards, using most of my strength. _My, these MudWings are strong, heavy and resilient. _The MudWing snarled at me threateningly, but I was unfazed.

"What is the problem first of all? There is no need for hurting another dragon," I said convincingly, hoping that he would listen and stop. I was foolish though, thinking that dragon would listen this quick. His only response was a swipe on my snout, and it stung and he snarled. My acts of kindness and common sense were diminished, and I lost it. I seethed with rage, and I kicked the MudWing, hard, and threw him on the wall, before he could overcome his shock and pain.

The MudWing recovered from it, however, and I wasn't ready for the shove and powerful kick that he gave me, sending me flying into the opposite wall. I smacked the wall, hard, and pain erupted from my back, and from the joints of my wings. The pain was so great, that I slumped and just sat there, knowing that I had done nothing.

I looked at the small SeaWing dragonet, who was quivering and walking backwards, away from the MudWing. Eventually, the SeaWing found himself cornered, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to watch what was going to happen to him.

"Stop right there, MudWing," A voice snarled, and it had an icy tinge to it, so I recognized it immediately. It had to be Sub-Zero. I opened my eyes, wanting to see what would happen.

"And who are you to stop me?" the MudWing sneered, and Sub-Zero clearly didn't like that, as I noticed his talons clenched and dug into the ground.

"What is your reason, first of all?"

The MudWing put on a face mixed with the strong emotions of sadness, and anger. "His tribe," he said, and he emphasized the word tribe, with as much poison he could, "Killed my family," his voice ended off in a sad tone, and my suspicions were starting to raise on how this MudWing could be probably the best actor out there, considering how quickly he switched between his emotions, _Pathetic. _

Sub-Zero let his talons loosen, and he put on the most apologetic face he could, which wasn't very effective, as his snout was covered. His eye (ridge? brow?) was furrowed, but due to the fact that his snout was covered, it looked like he was amused or angry.

The MudWing snarled, and Sub-Zero was taken aback. But the MudWing continued, "Queen Moorhen told me to go here, to relieve myself of my unrelenting anger. I refused, and Queen Moorhen lied to me. She said that only MudWings go here, and to not get angry." I was baffled, but Sub-Zero seemed to understand the reason why she lied to him, and nodded in acknowledgement.

Out of nowhere the MudWing slashed Sub-Zero across the face with his right claw, and dug his claws into Sub-Zero's underbelly. The MudWing, looked triumphantly at him, but he didn't know Sub-Zero's ability. I tried to get up, but pain erupted like a volcano from my wings, and my back felt like it was broken, so I sat there helplessly, and watched the events that were about to unfold.

Sub-Zero let out a hiss. But this wasn't a normal hiss. This was the darkest hiss that she had ever heard, and probably the other dragons in the prey center as well, who decided to stop what they were doing, watch what was happening, as all of them froze and took a step backwards, but didn't try to stop it.

Sub-Zero immediately put his front talons together, his wrists touching, but his palms were facing opposite directions, his left talon facing upwards, and his right facing downwards. Small ice shards flew from his talons, cutting the MudWing's underbelly, multiple times. Sub-Zero took advantage of the MudWing pain and shock, and easily drove him to a wall.

He conjured two ice spears, which had a tiny, sharp point, and was barbed with ice, more for holding something in place than inflicting severe harm. Holding one in each hand, he drove them through the MudWing's wing membranes, and created a perfect ice replica of himself, that held him in the same position. He then channeled his ice on to the MudWing talons, and created ice shackles, and in such a way, that the MudWing could not break them.

_Huh, _I thought, _He sure is creative with his powers. _He knew that the MudWing had no way to escape, so he convinced the MudWing to swear an oath that he would not act rashly like this again, and that if he did, he would brawl with him again. The MudWing, not wanting to be humiliated in front of such a prodigious amount of dragons, reluctantly agreed. Sub-Zero glared at him, but eventually stepped back.

I groaned in pain, and Sub-Zero seemed to notice. He looked at me in concern and walked toward me, trying to look as casual as he could, but I didn't know why. He helped me up, supporting my back and clutching my wings softly.

"Thanks for helping me fight off that MudWing, Sub-Zero!"

"No problem Blackout."

"Hey, you want to go see the winglets?"

"Sure. I'm curious how it will work, and all the dragons I'm going to meet."

At our quite bland conversation, we walked out of the door, pushing past dragons, and hastily walking to the stand. Sub-Zero had apparently memorized where the stand was, and I hadn't realized that I would've got lost if Sub-Zero wasn't there. _I really have to start paying attention more, _and this thought coursed angrily through my mind, as I contemplated my wrongdoing. I had been irresponsible.

We didn't talk through the journey, not because we didn't like talking to each other, but because the whole 'shoving dragons out of your way' thing was exhausting and we also ran as fast as we could, through the gaps of dragons, which were small and narrow, giving me strong sensations of my claustrophobia. _Huh, _I thought, _I swear I got over it a year ago._

We finally reached the stall. We both panted and Sub-Zero started unintentionally creating ice in his hands, to cool him off. _Clever._ We whirled towards the stall, but 'unfortunately' his wings awkwardly brushed mine. I looked at him, and he shied away a little bit. I could guarantee that if it wasn't for his mask, I would see the blush on his cheeks.

"WELCOME TO JADE MOUNTAIN ACADEMY! HERE ARE YOUR WINGLET PAMPHLETS. YOU WILL BE PUT IN A CAVE WITH A DRAGON OF EACH TRIBE. ALL THINGS ARE FINAL, NO CHANGES UNLESS VERY NECESSARY!" A dragon shouted in my ear, and I winced.

It was a NightWing female, an adult, and she had pitch black scales, like mine, but the stark contrast between our appearances was the purplish-blue underbelly that she had, whereas as mine was a very dark grey. The dragon also had a shining scale near her eye, that signified prophecy powers, but something seemed different, like it was faded. _What could that signify? Maybe her powers are dimmed or its special?_

Sub-Zero nodded his head in acknowledgement, and I did the same. The dragon maintained a kind smile, and I felt that it would be rude if I didn't return the smile, so I gave her a thankful grin.

I turned backwards, and proceeded to walk towards a general direction so I would have some space to read the scroll. I found a good spot, where it wasn't crowded, by any means, but just enough of the activity around to keep me from feeling underwhelmed and quiet. I was going to look at the scroll and study it, but something caught the corner of my eye. I saw a RainWing that I recognized. He had gold scales starting from the core of his body, but it slowly faded into a murky blue, then a misty green, and it finally ended with a touch of pink at the edges of his wings. He usually 'wore' this pattern as it fit his namesake. I pondered for a moment, and something clicked in my brain. _Bismuth._

Him and I used to be good friends back in the rainforest. I noticed that he had an interest for chemicals, such as toxins and how it worked. He was really interested in RainWing venom, and he wanted to find the ingredient in the RainWing venom that dissolved anything that was living.

He hated the usually lazy way of RainWing life, constantly doing his experiments by himself, although sometimes I helped him whenever he asked for it. He was also the first one to show me how to swing from trees. Bismuth was also a great guide, and he showed me what fruits I should eat and what I shouldn't.

I giggled at a memory in my mind. _Oh, how could I forget, _I thought with a small smile, _He's such a prankster._

**Flashback**

"_Bismuth, where are we going?" I asked anxiously. I saw a cluster of trees, densely packed, with barely any sunshine passing through the thick overgrowth. I denoted that it must've been deep in the rainforest, and I was nervous, particularly because I had never been this deep in the rainforest before. The lack of sunshine and the densely packed trees were making me claustrophobic._

"_You'll see," he said rather happily, a grin tugging at his face. His smile was a little too keen, and a little mischievous. I frowned, and he didn't like it._

"_Oh come on Blackout, you'll enjoy it! Where's the strong dragoness I know?" he said, and we both rolled our eyes at the last part._

"_Fine," I huffed, "but promise that you'll bring me back to the NightWing village."_

"_Of course I will!" a thoughtful expression crossed his face, like he was formulating a plan. I raised my eye (brow? ridge?) and looked at him questioningly. He got the clue, as a naughty smile crossed his face._

"_You'll see, you'll see," was his only reply, and he chuckled._

_We went deeper and deeper into the forest, until we finally arrived to a clearing that had some trees scattered here and there, and the overgrowth wasn't too bad, contrasting to earlier. The most eye catching thing were huge bushes covering a huge expanse of the area, and they harboured red fruits, that were round and smooth._

"_Try one of these," Bismuth said, "They taste really good!" _

"_Are you sure?" I asked, "I've never seen seen these before. Mommy told me to not to eat strange fruits, as they can have biiiiiiiiiggggg consequences!" I said, with emphasis._

"_Oh come on Blackout! We're three years old! We can deal with the small consequences, and this fruit has none! I swear it's the sweetest fruit in the whole world!" he bounced around happily, with a grin on his face._

"_Sweeter than mangoes?" I asked, with my eye (ridge? brow?) raised. However, I was too impatient to wait for an answer. I hastily plucked one of the fruits and popped it into my mouth. As I did this, Bismuth had a mischievous grin on his face, and I could tell he was up to something. I then did the biggest mistake I could._

_I chewed it._

_He wasn't lying, the fruit was sweet and scrumptious inside my mouth, but it was also very sticky. __**Weird, **__I thought. I continued to chew it, the sweetness of the fruit tempting me to continue eating it._

_As I finished eating it, I felt something weird inside my mouth. Since Bismuth seemed to know a lot about fruits, at least more than me, I decided to ask him what the weird, sticky feeling in my mouth was._

"_Waffff iffff thasssffff sffficcckkky fffeeessssf ifffff my mouffffff?" was all that came out. I widened my eyes in surprise, and I looked at Bismuth._

_He was in boisterous laughter. He slammed trees, the ground, everything with his clenched talons, and he wheezed, lying on the ground on his back. He flipped over so he was lying on his stomach, and along his hysterical laughter, he banged his talons, which were clenched, onto the soft ground._

_I growled at him, mustering the most angry expression I could on my face. His eyes widened, still laughing, and he leapt into a random direction into the trees, and started running. I ran after him, wanting to get my revenge._

_Bismuth was far in the lead, expertly dodging trees and moving branches in my way. I was not very adept at this, so I stumbled over a tree root here and there and occasionally got my tail stuck underneath a fallen log. We had been doing this for at least ten minutes. Bismuth turned and snickered at me, but I had a smirk on my face. He had no idea there was a huge tree beside him, but what was going to seal the deal was a large, thick tree root, that was curved and long. It reminded me of a huge yam, a vegetable that I found in the rainforest._

_Bismuth ran even more, and I started to pick up speed. Before he knew it, his claws got entangled on the root and he tripped, rolling on the ground a few times. He winced at some scratches, and he proceeded to lay on his back, defeated. I pounced, and pinned him down. I was over him, my front claws over his neck and left talon, and my back legs were on his, while my tail held firmly against his right talon._

_I shot him a look that said 'Where are we?' He seemed to understand, and he chuckled, "I made you chase me all the way here. If you go left, you'll reach the NightWing village."_

_Suddenly, I heard flapping noises, that were huge but graceful. I turned around to see who it was, and it was Queen Glory. I got off of Bismuth, and bowed. Bismuth did the same, and Queen Glory had a smile on her face._

"_Had fun I presume?" she asked, and Bismuth spoke up._

"_We did! Your Majesty, if I may ask, why have you come out of your busy day to check on us?"_

_I rolled my eyes. He was a bit wordy, but I found it amusing. _

"_The NightWing village has been looking for you two, and they came asking me to send scouts and help me found you as well. Thankfully, I found you both," she said, but I found it unusual that her tone was calm and collected, and there was no hint of anger at all in her voice._

"_Your Majesty..Uhm..are you mad at us?"_

"_Of course not Bismuth, in fact, you remind me of something…" her voice trailed off. A nostalgic expression crossed her face, and I couldn't help but think __**What is she thinking of?**_

"_You both remind me of two someones.."_

"_Who are they, Your Majesty?"_

_She sighed sadly. "Me and Deathbringer, Bismuth. I sometimes play pranks on him, and once I made him eat a smooth, red fruit that stuck to his teeth, and prevented him from speaking for a whole day. That was a phenomenal day, to be honest," she snickered. _

"_HEY!" I heard a distinctive male voice shout, but was deep, so I presumed that was Deathbringer. He leapt out of the outgrowth, and sidled beside Queen Glory. He put on the most heroic expression on his face, and Queen Glory rolled her eyes._

"_Speaking of which," she continued, "Is that why Blackout can't speak?" _

_I nodded. Bismuth blushed in embarrassment, and ducked his head. He mumbled a soft 'sorry.'_

_I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, but I held it back. _

"_Blackout, go to the RainWing healers, situated over there," she pointed to a small but not too far from where I was. "Next time, I expect you, Blackout, to tell your parents that you're going somewhere deep in the forest, considering how they were the ones that started this search party."_

_I was slightly sad that my parents weren't here. Queen Glory seemed to understand, and as if reading my mind, she said, "Your parents are in the healers hut."_

"_Thanffff!" I bounced around in joy. Queen Glory waved her goodbyes and, as majestic as she arrived, she leapt and flew off in a direction I presumed was her royal pavilion, with Deathbringer following her._

_Bismuth offered to accompany me to the healers hut, and I asked why._

"_I have to make it up to you, and to your parents. So I guess it's fair then."_

_I shrugged, and flew into the healers hut, waiting for the sticky pieces of fruit to be removed. I just hoped it wasn't painful._

Present Time

I approached him, and he was busy checking something in his pouch, that was a modest brown leather, and it was slung around his neck. I gently shook him out of his stupor, and he grumbled, looking intently at his pouch. He finally closed it, at looked at me. His expression was of pure joy, and longing. We exchanged a hug, and Bismuth was the first to speak up.

"Blackout! I can't believe you're here!" he said enthusiastically, his eyes shining.

"I'm happy to see you too, Bismuth," I said, "Been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, it's been two months, after the whole NightWing rebel group thing that tried to…" he trailed off, noticing that I had been wincing and sporting a grimace.

"No thank you, I don't want to remember that."

"Sorry." A loud sound shook our ears, and it put an end to our conversation. It was the gong, and I presumed it was to go to our caves, to meet the members of our winglet. The scroll was safely tucked under my forearm. I waved a goodbye, and squeezed his talon. He winced, and I let go.

"See you later!" I said, and Bismuth replied, "Can't wait!" We then waved a goodbye again, and left in different directions. "Time to see where my cave is, then," I muttered quietly to myself.

_Your cave is down the east hall. Take a left turn, and it will be the second cave on your right. Have a good time, and be sure to make friends with your winglet members! You are part of the Copper Winglet. Here is the list of the dragons in your winglet:_

_MudWing: Cane_

_SkyWing: Cataclysm_

_SeaWing: Hadal_

_NightWing: You, of course._

_SandWing: Audun_

_RainWing: Bismuth_

_IceWing: Sub-Zero_

My heart let out a happy skip, at seeing Bismuth's name on the scroll, but I didn't have time to read the last name on the scroll, which was Sub-Zero's. I followed the directions, albeit I had to admit it was confusing as I constantly bumped into dragons, and since I didn't look up very much, I was spun in a different angle, and from there, I was confused. I finally found it, after a long time off wandering (looking back, just a few minutes,) and entered.

_Sub-Zero's POV_

I looked through the scroll that the loud NightWing gave me, and I only read which winglet I was in and the location, for I wanted the rest of my winglet members to be a surprise. I found it easily, and I suspected that was due to that I lived in Possibility, and understanding navigation for most of my years in narrow streets. I entered, not knowing what awaited me.

**CRASH! BANG!**

My head suddenly hurt, throbbing in pain, and I had this weird feeling all over my body. In the haze of this event, I thought about what this feeling was, and I figured it out:

I was wet.

I stood there, with daggers in my eyes, looking at the room. The cave was lit by torches, scattered around the cave, along with glowing strands of something, that I presumed to be a glowworm. I would have to research that were some beds of sorts, made of soft fabric and wood, for support. There were five of these structures, a pool, presumably for the SeaWing, and was lit by small luminescent orbs, and an icy dais, covered in the same soft fabric used earlier for the other beds. _Huh, at least they have the decency to know that IceWings don't sleep on blocks of bare ice._

I shivered, snapping back to focus, and I witnessed a female SkyWing and SandWing snickering, on top of their beds, a RainWing with glasses on his snout, and had a leather pouch slung around his neck: and finally, a SeaWing who laughed heartily and held his head high, like he believed SeaWings were the best tribe in Pyrrhia. It took me a moment to realize that the MudWing, who was albeit a bit creepy, as he just stared at me, and went back to shuffling scrolls all over the bed, and plopping down on one of the beds. I was outraged, _He just took two beds! Ugh, how will there be enough beds for all of us? _As much as I wanted to express this, I held back, not wanting to be rude, after all, first impressions count, right?

I heard a cacophony of talons outside, scraping along on the stone floor outside of my cave, and it slowly approached. I did a body count of the dragons in the room, and I realized that would be the NightWing of our group. She entered, and I fought back a sense of happiness and familiarity.

It was Blackout.

She looked at me, then to all the other dragons in the cave. She just stood there, taking everything in, her eyes darting back and forth understandingly and intently. She then finally spoke up, and said, "Nice to meet you all. My name is Blackout."

The rest nodded, each one of them introducing themselves. The wetness was getting unbearable, and I shook it off. Unfortunately, the water splashed onto Blackout.

"Aw, now I'm wet," she said in a disappointed voice, but was clearly not annoyed with me.

"You're wet because of Sub-Zero, ehh?" Hadal said in a teasing tone, and winked at Blackout. Blackout rolled her eyes. I was blushing like crazy, the dark blue enveloping my face. The mask didn't hide it everytime, after all.

"I d-did n-noot me-ean t-to d-do tha-at" I stuttered, "I'm-m sorry."

"It's fine."

The conversation ended abruptly. All of my wingmates decided to talk about a little bit more about themselves. Hadal loved fish, and from what I could make out, he believed his tribe was superior, and he was egotistic. However, he had a sense of humour, and everyone enjoyed that. Audun was apparently a Scorpion Den rabble rouser, and she loved everything except things which made her claws dirty. Cataclysm was previously a messenger and a battle strategist in- training, and wasn't very adept at fighting. She liked scrolls and books, and she even showed us some parts of her scroll collection, that she had brought with her.

Cane was creepy. He just stared at nothing in particular, and the only phrase he said was. "Scrolls. I like scrolls." However, his tone had an edge to it, and I inferred that he used them to escape a pain, and was definitely obsessed with scrolls, as proven by his scroll collection which took up two beds. I decided to not pester him about that, though. He seemed okay, and I didn't want to be rude. Bismuth was a RainWing, who didn't like sun time or being lazy. He was incredibly smart and curious, as he would often go out to perform experiments with himself and Blackout, and was very interested about the compound that caused RainWing venom to dissolve organic matter.

Blackout loved fighting, as I could see by her strong upper body build. Apparently I was staring at her, and she gave me an odd look, and cocked her head. I shook my head, scolding myself, and unfortunately blushed, again. The others smirked except Cane. He seemed to have no sense of humour. I was offset by this, and shuffled my talons awkwardly. Blackout proceeded, saying that she was also interested in Bismuth's experiments, and was a childhood friend of his. Bismuth nodded in agreement.

"Well, I guess it's me then," "I'm interested in nothing in particular, but I am gladly willing to take risks," I paused, thinking to myself. _Should I trust them? I mean, I'm going to be with them for a while and Blackout already knows. It can't be that much of a deal, could it? _This argument went in my head for a few seconds, but I resolved it. I inhaled sharply.

"I also have cryomantic abilities." This statement had mixed reactions from the group. Cane didn't seem to care; heck, he didn't even seem to paying attention. He was reading a scroll. I snuck a look, and it was about MudWing history. _Boring. _

"Cryo-what?"

Bismuth and Blackout nodded in understanding. "Hadal, he means that he has the ability to wield and control ice at his will," Bismuth stated matter-of-factly, _He's like the professor of our group._ Hadal whispered a soft 'oh' and proceeded to yawn. The others were shocked. Their eyes danced with flames, their curiosity overwhelmed their senses. I winced and prepared for the upcoming cacophony.

"Caaaan weeee seeee, pleeeeeeaaaasssseeeee?" I put my talons over my ears, their voices did not go well together. The only ones who weren't participating in this cacophony was the scroll-obsessed Cane, and Blackout, who had already seen it before.

"Guys, he might show you, if you all can stop that incessant whining. You're irritating him," she pointed to me. I opened my eyes again, and took of my talons off of my ears. I nodded thankfully to Blackout, and she responded with a silent welcome. _Hmm, she can definitely understand dragon emotions, and their thoughts. Could she be a mind reader? I'll have to ask that question later. _As the possibility of Blackout being a mind reader wove through my mind, I started to get more anxious._ What if she knows about my secrets? What if an embarrassing thing courses through my head and she knows? Oh no, please don't let it be true. _A pause. _Wait, I don't even know if she's a mind reader yet. I should stop stressing, besides, my mind is too innocent and pure, isn't it? _I reassured myself, albeit with some lies.

I shook my head, returning from my stupor. Everyone was practically in my face, and I shifted uncomfortably.

"Really? You guys are acting like dragonets. Get out of his face, he's uncomfortable." She pushed all of them a step back, none of them resisting. Cane's interest was slightly piqued, as he nodded to me eagerly. But I was surprised with Bismuth's behaviour. Sure, he was smart, but clearly his curiosity overwhelmed him, and clouded his actions. I reminisced a scroll that I had read two years ago with my parents. They specifically bought it for me, and they insisted that I had fun, as an IceWing related scroll was hard and a pain in the ass to find in a SkyWing marketplace. An IceWing scribe, named Merry, coined a quote that Sub-Zero held to his heart. _Right, curiosity killed the dragon._ I mused on how accurately the quote fit this situation. _It could might as well apply to the whole group. _

I looked around. Blackout looked at them sternly, and often shooting glances at the dragonets. The rest of my wingmates looks childish: their talons pressed to the floor, arms straight in front of them; their heads raised and nervous tapping ensued. I thought for a moment, _What should I conjure? Nothing violent, but something that radiates calmness, and at the same time bringing awe. Blackout has been the nicest so far. _A pause. _I have the perfect idea. _I thought about the image in my head and concentrated on it. In these moments of deep concentration, I slowly unravelled my powers into the creation. It was a humble gift; a small, icy necklace, with the head of a NightWing in the center. It glinted in the sun, the ice a mix of the shining ice back in the Ice Kingdom; and the blue of the ocean. It was the best ice I could conjure. I stood up and passed it to Blackout, who stood still in awe.

"Wow. Thanks!" She was at a loss for words. "Hey, it's no problem." Instinctively, she moved to the back of the cave, as a small mirror was situated there. As she looked at herself and her glory, she was out of earshot.

Audun, Hadal, and Cataclysm winked. "Making moves ehh, Sub-Zero?" Hadal teased, whispering. His smile and tone were nowhere near to hurtful, he was just having fun, I reassured myself.

"Hey! Nothing like that. I just wanted to show my gratitude, as she seems to be the most mature of you all," I responded, although the back of my mind thought otherwise.

"Sure, of course," Audun said, smirking. "Anyways, it's getting late. We have our first batch of lessons tomorrow, and apparently we wake up early to go to class. So it's best that we go to sleep." The rest of the winglet agreed, yawning, further proving Audun's point. They all mumbled their goodnight's, and proceed to claim the beds. Unfortunately, I was too slow.

"Mine!" "This bed is mine!" "Hey get off!" I clamped my ears shut. As they claimed their beds, I trotted towards the icy dais. Blackout got carried away, returning finally.

"So you guys have claimed beds?" She didn't wait for a response. She scanned the room, trying to find one. Unfortunately, all of them had been taken, as Cane had taken two of the beds due to his abnormally large scroll collection. I couldn't leave Blackout without a bed, and besides, the dais was far too big. It could easily fit two dragonets. _The fabric would be enough to keep her warm, wouldn't it?_

"You can sleep with me, Blackout." She nodded thankfully, and groggily crept on the dais and laid her body down. I forced myself not to look at her doing this, but I took a quick look. _Wow, _I thought, _She really is beautiful, _I thought, and released a breath which I didn't know I had been holding, I was mildly disgusted with my actions, and scolded myself in my head, but she didn't seem to notice.

Hadal winked. "Oooohhh guys, Sub-Zero is sleeping with Blackout!" Annoyed murmurs came his way, albeit accompanied with smiles. Hadal then plopped his head back onto his bed, and everyone did the same. We all went to sleep.

_Few hours into the night_

I twisted and turned in my dream. I was feeling unsettled, and often growled under my breath. Claws reached for my face. As I looked around at the world for one last time, I saw the corpses of my SkyWing parents. I sobbed, reminiscing all the moments I had with them, the good and the bad. The claws wound around my neck, and-

My eyes flew open, and I was terrified. My tail was over Blackouts, my arms over her head. I took my hands off of her, and I mumbled a soft 'sorry.' _She's asleep. My apology is futile, _I chuckled in my head. _It was just a dream. _

"I'm awake, Sub-Zero."

"What?" I said louder and more intensely, still whispering. "I'm really sorry."

"It's fine. You know, your scrabbles are hard to ignore. Plus, you started to touch me, and you put your tail over mine and squeezed it, like you wanted comfort." My face contorted, and she quickly answered.

"No no no, not like that, buddy," and I sighed in relief. We plopped our heads back down, but we heard a clack of talon steps outside the cave, in the hallway. Our ears perked, and we quietly sat up. We were scared beyond belief, and we sat close to each other for reassurance and safety. We then heard a low-pitched, guttural sound, and black ooze slowly made its way into the cavern. The torches were put out, but the glowworms provide enough light. The same sound heard earlier came again, and the black ooze transformed. It was a scavenger like being, the size of a dragonet like themselves, with black arms and legs, seeming to be made of literal darkness. The thing had white eyes that lacked pupils, and wore a twisted crown on its head. It was dressed in old fashioned armor, and it's feet were encased in boots, made out of solid darkness. It approached us slowly. I clutched Blackout in fear, shivering. Blackout did the same, although she wasn't as scared as me.

"Who are you?" Blackout asked, mustering all the courage she had. An eerie, quiet laugh emanated from the being. It pulled out a sickle out of its body, ooze gushing out. The ooze clambered back up its legs and filled up the hole. _THIS THING IS IMMORTAL!_

It flipped the sickle and held it close to its chest. "You do not know me, but I suppose that not a lot of you know who or what I am," it said, in a gravelly, demonic voice. I was startled, as my voice slightly resembled that of the being's voice. I was unsettled.

"I am a Watcher, Spirit, Spectre, Demon," it said, pausing between each term, looking for hints of recognition from both of us. It looked slightly disappointed, but it was hard to tell from his eyes, which had no pupils, and his face was almost completely devoid of facial expressions. We had none, so we said nothing. "You may call me anything, but…" the voice trailed off. A laugh that resonated around the cave accompanied this eerie statement. Blackout and I darted eyes wildly. We looked back at the thing.

"I am Ezequiel, Demon of Chaos and Death."

**AN: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE HIATUS. I'M A PIECE OF SHIT AND I KNOW THAT, BUT I HAVE MY REASONS, WHICH I BLAME SOLELY ON MY ENGLISH TEACHER. EXAMS ARE COMING SOON, AND I AM NOT SURE WHEN THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE POSTED, SO PLEASE BE PATIENT LMAO. ANYWAYS, LEAVE A REVIEW, AND AGAIN MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES FOR NOT POSTING A NEW CHAPTER IN SO LONG. Anyways, how'd you guys like the cliffhanger? DUN DUN DUN! :)**


	4. Chapter 3

_Third Person, limited to Sub-Zero_

"I will explain everything in the morning, I'll be waiting right here," Ezequiel chuckled, creating a stool to sit on. Sub-Zero could not believe what he was hearing. How did he expect them to sleep knowing that a huge, immortal, dark, demon like thing was in their damn cave!? _Clearly not the sharpest knife in the drawer._

He guessed Blackout thought the same too, as the NightWing was looking at him incredulously, but she also had a different expression. _Fear? Wariness? Does she think that he came here to kill us?_

Sub-Zero wanted to alert the teachers by shrieking at the top of his lungs, but it looked like Ezequiel wasn't trying to kill them. Why would he ask for an audience if he was an assassin? If he was, wouldn't he get the job done instantly, quickly, instead of waiting?

_Doesn't make any sense, _he thought. _It appears he comes in peace. I'll have to hope that's really the truth. _Sure, it was a long shot, but Sub-Zero comforted himself with the little evidence he gathered, and stayed put. _Oh gods, if you're listening, please let me live._

"You do realize that we can't sleep knowing that an immortal, dark, powerful demonic being is sharing a cave with us, right?" Blackout asked, sneering.

"I realize that. But you'll have to get adjusted to my presence. You will be spending quite some time with me." Ezequiel chuckled. _Wait...WHAT DOES HE MEAN BY 'SPENDING TIME?' TORTURING US? KEEPING US CAPTIVE FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO KILL US? _Similar thoughts kept running through Sub-Zero's head, and he desperately struck his head and tried to meditate in order to stop these thoughts. After a while, it stopped, mostly. Sub-Zero laid down, resuming his sleep once again. He thought it would take some time for his to go to sleep, but the fatigue eventually dragged him down to sleep.

Sub-Zero didn't have a good sleep last night. He was tossing and turning in his dreams. Mostly depicting Ezequiel, as the dark, malicious monstrosity that mauled and ripped every organ from his wingmates, accompanying Ezequiel's blood covered claws and mouth, and his head glitching and turning in abnormal ways. In his dream, he always heard Ezequiel saying "It's me, Ezequiel. Do you remember me?" in an eerie, quiet whisper. What scared him most of all was the environment around him. What used to be the comforting walls of the cave were turned into a bloodbath, the blood covering all of the walls like red paint that hadn't dried out.

The small light giving algae/worms in the wall were crushed, their innards spewing out very little light, conveniently on Ezequiel's face, turning up the horror factor up to an eleven. Hadal's body was mangled, his face in a desperate attempt to attack Ezequiel, but he miserably failed. What got Sub-Zero's attention was a loud, rhythmic sound.

**THUMP THUMP THUMP!**

As Sub-Zero looked closer to identify where the sound was coming from, it seemed to come from Hadal. As much as it scared him, he moved his wingmates corpse into some of the light shining from the innards of those algae like things. What he witnessed was absolutely horrifying.

His talons held his own heart, and the organ was thumping. Blood was spewing out of the aorta. The blood made a pool around him, and as he looked closer at Hadal, the amount of blood made him completely unrecognizable as a SeaWing. The crimson red dappled his body, overthrowing the dark blue of his scales. Even his phosphorescent scales were soaked in the dark, crimson red.

Sub-Zero shot up from his bed, sweat pouring as he panted. His eyes darted towards the rest of the room, and all of his wingmates were safe and sound. Audun, Cataclysm, Bismuth, Hadal, and Cane hadn't woken up yet. He didn't know how to feel about that. He wanted to wake them up and tell them what was happening, but on second thought he wasn't sure on how they would react.

Sub-Zero resolved to let them wake up themselves in the morning so that they were well rested and didn't make stupid decisions, such as attacking Ezequiel.

_That would be extremely bad, _Sub-Zero thought worriedly.

_If we anger him, we're done for._

* * *

Sub-Zero woke up groggily, stretching his wings and tail. He looked at his wingmates to make sure they were still ok. He was still a bit paranoid. He couldn't trust Ezequiel just yet. _I should wake them up now. It would be better if Ezequiel explained everything before class. _Sub-Zero proceeded to shake his wingmates gently.

It wasn't working on all of them. Blackout was easily woken up due to her also being paranoid about Ezequiel. Blackout tried to help, but nothing worked.

"Blackout, I have an idea," Sub-Zero whispered. "I'll create a thick ice block, and you shatter it. That ought to wake them up."

"Alright. But won't the ice shards hurt our wingmates?" Blackout asked.

"It shouldn't. But just in case, I'll create an ice sheet all over their bodies. That should protect them."

Blackout nodded. Sub-Zero proceeded to create each sheet above his wingmates bodies, each sheet supported by a small, rod like foundation of ice. Sub-Zero conjured the huge ice block, and placed it in the middle of their wingmates. _Here goes. Talons crossed._

Blackout winded her fist and punched it and managed to break through the thick ice block. _Wow. I can't believe she managed to punch through that, _Sub-Zeroadmired. _The_ shattering sound was loud, and his wingmates woke up suddenly, snorting and scrabbling in surprise.

"Huh, what? It's morning already? Jeez, no one can get good sleep around here!" Hadal said angrily. He scowled at all the walls around him, as if that would help. Blackout and Sub-Zero exchanged looks.

"Well, I guess it's time for classes then," said Audun. "I'm excited, how about y'all?" She was practically jumping up and down, and she had made her satchel ready last night, before Sub-Zero came.

It was a brown leather pouch, wound around her neck. _Oh shit, I haven't even prepared. Then again, it's the first day only, right? _Sub-Zero shivered involuntarily. His attempt at being optimistic made Sub-Zero feel disgusted._ Why don't I tell them? I can't, I just can't._

_Sub-Zero, stop being an idiot, just tell them!_

_No! Ezequiel will slaughter them! _

The voices inside his head began to argue. He breathed slowly and let the voices drain away until they were not heard, he sighed. He hated not being prepared, and what he hated most of all, was being shouted at. He was already exposed to shouting by his SkyWing parents. They would always shout at him whenever he did something wrong, even in the slightest mistakes. He swore that his parents would disown him if they had the chance, evident in the fact that they always looked at him like he was a disappointment. It made Sub-Zero feel bad, and he would always stay his distance from them for a few days by locking himself in his room. His parents wouldn't even care and they would pretend he didn't exist. The reason he was so eager when his parents informed him about Jade Mountain Academy was because he could escape all the shouting and the looks of disappointment and live a happy, more simpler life. _Oh, how the tables have turned, _Sub-Zero thought bitterly.

Nothing was fun anymore, hell, nothing even made sense now?! This was precisely something he wanted to avoid, he never wanted drama, or an immortal, dark, crazy entity that could kill all his wingmates in a heartbeat in his cave. All he wanted was some friends. _Is that so hard? Is that the only thing I could never get? _Sub-Zero thought bitterly, growling deeply. Blackout rubbed her knuckles, her fingers red from the blunt force she had to dish out. Her body was shining as the water dried on her body, passing with the sunlight. _Wow, she really glimmers like a princess. _He began to stare at her again. She looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

Sub-Zero noticed instantly and put his head down, sweating profusely. _Stop it! Stop it! Stop being weird, just be a normal friend. _Blackout just shrugged and began to bolt after her friends.

Sub-Zero stood there, contemplating to himself.

_Everything with Ezequiel just made no sense. Where was he from? Why did he just talk to me like we knew each other? Is it possible that him and I had some connection in the past? _Sub-Zero shivered violently. There was no way he would ever associate with a monster when he was younger. Or ever. He still wanted to kill him.

Sub-Zero breathed slowly, before taking off behind Blackout. He was suddenly hit with a shockwave of pain through his body a few seconds after he left the cave. He hit the floor, gasping for air as the dull colours of the cave around him clouded his vision. Sub-Zero then saw a reddish orange colored figure burst at him. In a swift motion, the IceWing grabbed them by their talon and threw them off course. The dragon crashed into the rocks and slumped over. _I swear I recognize those scale colours? _Sub-Zero thought to himself. _Cataclysm. _His expression turned from curiousness to surprise as his fellow wingmate sputtered as she tried to get up. _I must have hurt her pretty badly_.

Cataclysm raised her body and turned towards him, her eyes shooting daggers.

"Demon lover." She muttered. Sub-Zero cocked his head.

"What do you mean, and why the hell did you attack me?!"

"You're working with a demon!" The SkyWing growled.

"You know about Ezequiel?" he asked.

"Yes! You fought him, all of us did."

"What?"

"We did, except you. You tried to stop us, and you got hurt in the process."

_They hurt me. My own wingmates hurt me. I guess it wasn't on purpose. _Sub-Zero still couldn't help but feel the anger channeling through his body, a wave of fury rising into his chest.

"He has the ability to erase our recent memories, which explains why you don't remember anything," Cataclysm continued. "For some reason, that ability doesn't work on me. Odd, now that I think about it. Anyways, back to the point."

Sub-Zero scratched his chin. _I never knew he could erase a dragon's memories, but it could be possible. He is a demon, after all. _

"He isn't what you think he is. He may seem scary, but trust me, he wouldn't be asking for an audience if he was trying to kill us. You guys attacked him, which ticked him off. It isn't his fault, you never even tried to reason with him. A flaw all of you have is that you're very impulsive."

"Easy for you to say, you weren't the one who saw the power he could unleash." Cataclysm stretched her talons.

"What kind of power? I knew he had more raw power than any other Animus born, but he never had any specific powers."

"It felt like he conjured the power of the gods into his hand, and snapped all of it into existence. He reached up into the sky, and some weird kind of matter materialized into some weird creatures. They started attacking us, and now that I think about it, the matter they were made of were the same as Ezequiel."

Cataclysm violently stated. Her face was morphed into a scowl and smoke billowed out her nostrils. _That's actually pretty scary. Remind me not to get on her bad side._

She then explained the amount of blocks and defensive ice he had created to stop his wingmates from attacking Ezequiel, and that Sub-Zero even threw an ice block onto Cataclysm. Sub-Zero was flabbergasted. _How do you bring the power of the gods into yourself, unless you're harnessing something that isn't worldly? And secondly how does she remember?_

"There's one thing I would like to point out." She looked and her voice came to a whisper. The tone was quite eerie, and sent shivers down his spine.

"So, he could kill us whenever he wants?" He said.

"No shit, Sherlock." she rolled her eyes.

Sub-Zero huffed in annoyance. "Well, we don't want to be late, let's go to our classes. They're really important, I believe. First impressions count, don't you think?"

"Whatever," Cataclysm said, bored.

"Come on, we'll be late!" Sub-Zero said while sprinting through the narrow corridor. The absence of dragons in the corridor was very abnormal, but he guessed that was due to the fact that he was late by a mile. But, even if they had been late, it would be better if they weren't delaying their class further.

"That's what you're worried about, meeting at our history cave in time?"

"Hey, we can't just stroll up with "Hello, A demon beat us up and can erase our minds, could you please tell him to go away?" Sub-Zero said in a high pitched, squeaky voice.

"I don't sound like that," she huffed. "You tease me like that one more time, I'm ripping your claws off one by one. But whatever, let's go."

_Gruesome and painful. I really hope she doesn't mean that. She did somewhat display her somewhat violent tendencies, which could be a risk. Then again, who cares?_

As he and Cataclysm raced down the corridor, he found a small opening in the side of the hallway. His curiosity got the best of him, and he walked over to the opening. It wasn't big enough for a grown dragon to get through, but enough for a dragonet, around 1-4 years old.

_The jungle is even better than I remember, _Sub-Zero thought nostalgically. The jungle still looked so amazing even after the many times he had been here with his parents, back when they could walk around together, before they blocked him off. He frowned and lowered his head. Cataclysm began to sprint off and Sub-Zero began to run behind her. They made their way to the history cave in no time. He paused at the entrance, his brain flashed back to the jungle scenery he saw earlier. _I wish those days could be brought back._ Cataclysm frowned and punched his shoulder. "Let's go!" She ushered him. "Okay, okay!" he yelled.

The cave had no decoration whatsoever, and no items in the cave. Not a desk, stone slabs to write in, just….plain. It honestly looked abandoned, the rocks crumbling off the walls.

"Could it be possible we're in the wrong cave?" Sub-Zero asked. He nudged Cataclysm to the entrance.

"I swear it is here! My sister used to go here, and this is the exact place she described. All the way down the hallway, take a left, first cave on your right."

"Ahh, I see your predicament." An unknown voice said innocently. Sub-Zero and Cataclysm turned around rapidly, trying to identify who it was. _Oh, it's a NightWing. Wait, is that a blindfold around his eyes?_

"Oh ...Starflight," Cataclysm remarked. "My sister always said you were the best. She especially liked your puns, quips and jokes! Speaking of which, that wasn't too bad. Would have gotten a laugh if you hadn't surprise us."

"Well, there's always another time, isn't there? What does the IceWing think?"

Sub-Zero tried to keep a straight face. Didn't work out too well, considering that Sub-Zero burst out laughing, tears spilling out from his eyes. He patted Starflight's back, and balanced by placing his talon over a small boulder.

"Good one," Sub-Zero wheezed out, wiping tears from his eyes. "Oh, I think I need to-" Sub-Zero burst out laughing again.

Starflight and Cataclysm looked at him, bewildered at his colossal laughing fit.

"I've never seen someone laugh so hard at my puns! I'm not complaining though," Starflight said with a chuckle. "Anyways," Starflight continued, "The history cave was moved, ever since the-uh, incident," Starflight explained nervously. "Go back the way you came, and turn left. You should find a hallway marked with a sign saying 'New History Cave' with a big arrow. Just follow it, and you should find it from there," Starflight directed, matter of factly. "Anyways, I should be going now. 'Lost students for the history cave' patrol is over. I have to talk to Tsunami bout that one. Not the most creative one of the group. Anyways, have fun, and stay safe, dragonets!" Starflight said kindly, walking off.

Me and Cataclysm said our thanks, and then dashed down the corridor that Starflight had instructed us to go in. Cataclysm pointed at the sign, and Sub-Zero raced to the cave. _Finally, we don't need to run around anymore._

Up ahead, he heard two people arguing. _They sound like SandWings, is it Audun?_ Cataclysm also heard it, because in a few moments she had located the ruckus and was trying to break apart the fight. Cane was curled up in the corner, shivering with fear. A bigger SandWing, with his stinger poised to attack, was shouting insults at Cane, bullying him.

"Okay, okay! Calm down SandWing, let's break it up?" Cataclysm said, persuasively, or at least, tried to be.

_That wasn't very persuasive. That sounded like a question. _

"He's a little piece of garbage," The SandWing growled to Cataclysm, and whipped around to face Cane.

"What are you going to do? Read a scroll after this about how your tribe sucks? I'll beat you up again, this time without your stupid wingmates to protect you!" the SandWing screamed at Cane, throwing his fists up into the air in a rage.

"Stupid?!" Audun said, astounded, "I'm not the retard who beats other dragons up for the fun of it!"

The SandWing growled and shoved Cataclysm away, making her trip and fall on a nearby stone. However, she recovered quickly, baffled, and sliced his tail. He roared out in pain and flicked her away with his wing, before body slamming her to the floor. Even with her agility, she couldn't have dodged an attack like that. Cataclysm hit the floor and gasped in pain, spitting small amounts of blood out of her mouth. She collapsed in pain.

Before this could advance any further, Sub-Zero blocked the path between Audun and the aggressor.

"C'mon, don't do this, just walk away."

"Hmm, and who are you exactly?" He said, tauntingly. "An Icewing who has the shitty ability to make little ornaments for your girlfriend?" he teased, making Sub-Zero clench his fists in anger._ This guy is really asking to be beat up. Then let's bring the icebreaker._

"Blackout is not my-" before he could finish his sentence, pain erupted in his lower rib cage. _Oh, that's definitely a broken one, _Sub-Zero thought weakly. The SandWing took advantage of Sub-Zero's slow recovery time, then grabbed the scruff of his neck, and threw Sub-Zero against a moss-covered rock.

Sub-Zero bared his teeth and staggered back up, using the rock as an armrest. The SandWing then attacked from the back, folding his wings inward and throwing the IceWing over his shoulder. Sub-Zero landed with a hard **THUD!** And with a quick second strike, the SandWing punched him in his right nostril. Sub-Zero clutched his nose and rolled over. _Ah shit, that does not feel good._

_I can beat him, I just need to concentrate. I could do that better, if I DIDN'T HAVE A BROKEN RIB AND NOSE. _The SandWing stomped on the IceWings spine, and kicked him away. Audun fumbled in her pouch, desperate, as she pulled out a huge rock. She raised it up, aimed, and struck him in the eye. He roared in pain and stumbled backward, clutching the wound. Audun armed her barb and hissed.

The SandWing growled threateningly, and charged forward, dodging her stinger and slashing her face. Sub-Zero tried to force himself up, but the pain that he felt in his ribs had him almost chained to the floor. The SandWing then slashed Audun's arm and beat her to the floor, continuing until she was implanted into the ground.

_Why is this dragon so damn strong?_ _And why is he attacking us? What did we do? What did Cane do to him?_ Sub-Zero thought bitterly.

The SandWing grinned maniacally, and stared right at Cane. The poor MudWing was chattering with fear, clutching his chest, and his eyes were wet as he crawled into the corner. He pulled himself up slowly, with a hacking cough.

"I've got you now. And now that your friends are incapacitated, I can dish out my real fury. This will be fun." The SandWing began to laugh maniacally. He wrapped his talons around Cane's throat and lifted him off the ground. Sub-Zero stared at everyone else. Audun was injured to the brim, and Cataclysm was passed out to the side. _They're too badly hurt. I'm the only one left conscious, and in somewhat fighting shape. I do have the element of surprise though. That's my only chance in defeating this psychotic SandWing. _

"Put. Cane. Down." A deep voice said demandingly. It sounded like a Nightwing. _Blackout? _Sub-Zero whipped his head around, to see who the new participant in this brawl was. The SandWing sighed discontentedly and dropped the MudWing to the floor. The SandWing then jumped up and scurried away into a nearby cave. _What was that? _

Blackout pulled out a small spearhead from her pouch hanging from her wing. The foe rapidly exited the cave, and faced his new assailant. He bared his teeth and hissed at her. She backed away slightly, and tightened her grip on her weapon. The SandWing charged with a sprint at her, swinging his left talon, aiming to connect it with her skull. _Hoping to knock her out. Very ambitious_.

She ducked and counter-attacked him with a swing to the gut. He grunted and stumbled back, clutching his wound. The NightWing then smashed the spear through his thigh, piercing his flesh, but only enough to hurt him and drive him off. The SandWing screamed in pain and raked her back with his claws. Blackout grunted, and uppercutted the dragon. She then kicked him backward, trying to make some distance so that she could recover and be ready for the next wave of hurt her assailant was about to throw at her. The SandWing threw himself forward, punching Blackout in the ribcage. Blackout stumbled before falling on the floor.

Seeing Blackout hurt made fury release behind his eyes. _No more stealth, and no more being on the sidelines. I hate being useless._ Sub-Zero concentrated hard, with a bit of effort, he sent forward an ice blast that completely encased the SandWing in an ice block, he seemed surprised, even in panic.. He nodded at Blackout, and she wound her punch.

_**Crash!**_

Sub-Zero created a hatchet, and tossed it towards Blackout. He made spare ones, since ice wasn't the most durable, but was certainly sharp. Blackout grabbed the hatchet and began to swing, the SandWing covering his face and desperately reached for one of Sub-Zero's ice conjurments. Sub-Zero blocked his hand and stomped on his foot.

He then shot a small ice blast at the SandWing's eyes to temporarily blind him and make him stagger backward, where Blackout had the perfect window to dish out the final blow of this battle. What angered Sub-Zero was the fact that this battle had no significance, and started with senseless hatred of another tribe.

Blackout raised the axe and put all she could muster and sliced it into the SandWing's wing. Sub-Zero let go of the dragon. The dragon screeched, the cry being a massive cacophony to Sub-Zero's ears. He winced at the bloody scene laid before him. The dragon's left wing was almost severed from the joint that connected the wing and arm, rendering the wing useless. Neither of them cared that they would get into trouble, or even worse, suspended, or expelled; the vigor and the heat of battle clouds anyone's judgement and impairs their ability to make intelligent decisions. Sub-Zero kind of liked that, for some nonsensical reason.

_I think it's cool to go all out without your judgement and mind hindering you. It kinda feels, refreshing, I guess? _

"Now get out of here before I rip off your other wing." Blackout growled feinting a strike with her left talon.

The SandWing roared in pain and limped off, but not before shooting both of them a vengeful glare. Sub-Zero hit the floor with the sudden, stinging pain in his back. Blackout helped him up with one talon, reminding him about how the first met. Except without a psychotic, maniacal, bloody SandWing senselessly hurting his wingmates.

Sub-Zero smiled in gratitude. Ironically, even with her bruises and black eye, she looked even more

beautiful than before. His back still hurt, but he didn't care anymore. He had to push on. If he had to deal with Ezequiel, a demon who has powers that no one could ever have dreamt of, a hit to the back should be absolutely nothing; like a dragonet tripping over a pebble.

"Are you all okay?" She asked.

"What do you think?" Audun replied, severely annoyed.

"Hey, if she wasn't here, your head would have been lodged on his claw." Sub-Zero said.

The rest of the day was a blur. With all that had gone on that day, coupled with the stress about Ezequiel, Sub-Zero had the rest of the day to do whatever he wanted; which was pretty much ruminating about other things and not paying close attention to anything. He couldn't concentrate on any of his classes, and he barely recalled any information he had been taught after his classes were over. He spent the rest of the evening laying on a cot until an animus SeaWing, who he learned was named Turtle. While laying on his cot and tending to their wounds with a rock and some type of silk material, he told the winglet tales about his marvelous adventures and anecdotes; from the rebirth of Darkstalker to his love life and his adventures with his winglet. He also healed Cataclysm, who was failing small talk with him and stuttering, implying that she had a huge crush on the Seawing, even though him and Kinkajou were together at the moment.

After all of his wingmates had been healed, Blackout approached him when they exited the mountain. "Um… I think I might have broken your ornament that you gave me while I was fighting that asshole sandwing." She said in a shy voice as she handed the broken shards of the pendent. Sub-Zero took it.

"Oh, it's fine, I've repaired my creations before. It's ice, after all. Not the most durable material." He said with a warm smile. He placed the pieces in his palm and closed his fist. Speckles of phlorescent blue began to light up his fist. When the light dimmed, he opened up his hand. The ornament was as good as new, with flecks of turquoise.

"Here, it's as good as new." gave it back to her. There was a small moment where both of their hands brushed one another, Sub-Zero blushed.

"It looks even better than before. Thanks." She gave him a big smile and began to fly off. _Okay, that's what I like to see, come on Sub-Zero, keep making small talk like that, not the awkward kind. _He thought.

"Okay, if you're done with flirting with her, can we talk?"

Sub-Zero whirled his head, behind him was Cataclysm, trying not to laugh.

"Okay, one, I am NOT flirting with her, second, great try to hit on Turtle. Don't you know he's with someone else?" He had a playful grin on his face.

Cataclysm suddenly went red, redder than her crimson colored scales. "Hey, shut your mouth, that isn't what you're making it out to be, I just admire him."

"Right, Right."

"ANYWAY, I wanted to talk about Ezequiel."

Sub-Zero lowered his voice, "You want to talk about him now?"

"Where else, nimrod? Also, I want to break the news, AGAIN, to the other winglets."

"How are they going to handle it?"

"Bismuth ran out of the cave for dear life, Hadal and Cane passed out, and the rest of us tried to do something."

"Ah, so one half is dead and the other is alive."

"Pretty much."

"Hopefully this time we don't have the fight all over again."

"Hopefully."

"Well, if we don't get back to our cave, then our talk would not mean anything, giving that the demon might kill all of us."

_He's not evil. _Sub-Zero stretched out his wings and took to the sky. Cataclysm came up beside him.

"Then why is Ezequiel obsessed only with you?" Cataclysm asked.

"What do you mean?" Sub-Zero asked.

"Well, I noticed that he looked at you funny. Not as in he thinks you're ridiculous and annoying, which you are, no offense," she said. _How can you not take offense when someone insults you? Doesn't make sense! _He also barely reacted to any of our horrified expressions. He was fixated on you."

"I really don't know. But I do feel kinda different around him. But considering I don't remember, I'm guessing I might have seen him vaguely when I was a child? Although, if I saw a demon thing when I was a small dragonet, I think I'd remember him. My best guess is that I was in an egg. On that topic though, when I was an egg, I'd always feel this weird sensation, that would come and go, and for some reason, the same feeling creeps up on me whenever I'm around him."

"Ah, so you interacted with a demon that you didn't even remember."

"No! I'm just saying that I feel like he was a part of my dragonhood. Or part of my egghood, for that matter."

"Same thing."

Sub-Zero rolled his eyes dove down and landed softly against the rocks. The SkyWing hit the ground hard and struggled to get back up, dazed from the impact, and she shook out dust from her ears. As Sub-Zero entered the cave, Bismuth was silently writing in his pad. Bismuth perked up and waved a hello. He politely replied with a "Hi" and moved to his bed. Cane had his face buried in his pillow, Sub-Zero heard soft crying. Even though he the kid gave him the creeps, he genuinely felt bad for the bullying he had to endure, and no one deserved that.

Hadal had a worried expression on his face, which was a first.

"Are you guys okay? You haven't been talking at all." Hadal asked.

"We're just exhausted," Sub-Zero replied with a sigh.

"Well, you guys might have to sleep whenever you can, since we're having a special event tomorrow. It's some kind of assembly thing with all the winglets, so we wake up an hour earlier than usual." Bismuth said without even raising his head.

"Where were you and Hadal anyway?" Audun asked.

"Hadal might be a narcissist, but he doesn't like to get in trouble. We were both in class long before you guys got in that little fight," Bismuth said matter of factly.

_Little fight? We could have died!_ Sub-Zero thought angrily.

"Anyways, Cataclysm, how's your totally-not-crush-friend Turtle?" Hadal said in a teasing tone.

The SkyWing puffed smoke out of her nostrils. "If I had the energy to deal with you, you wouldn't even be alive. Fortunately for you, I don't."

"No one does." Blackout said flatly, yawning.

"Very true." Bismuth agreed.

Sub-Zero pulled out a large, sharpened piece of ice.

"Blackout, could you move over?" He asked.

"Sure." She flipped over to the other side. Sub-Zero put the item underneath his pillow, just in case something went bad, like this morning.

"Should we tell them?" Sub-Zero whispered to Blackout. The NightWing absentmindedly tapped her claws and the stone floor, thinking for a moment.

"Yeah, I believe it's time. Can we summon him somehow?" Blackout whispered back.

"He's a demon, so it might work, if the legends of gods and spirits are true. However, I don't know if they're in the same class and category, so I don't think we should assume that we can summon him. Plus, we don't know how to do that, or if there are any rituals for it. However, I do have a different solution, if you promise not to tell anyone else. I think I might have a psychic link with him."

"WHAT?!" Blackout gasped, quietly.

"I feel like he's in my head, as this weird buzzing in my head. He also stated while he was around that we were connected. To Cataclysm specifically."

Blackout lowered her voice even further, "She knows?"

"Yeah, and apparently we fought Ezequiel. He erased it from all of our minds, except for Cataclysm, which is weird."

Blackout scratched her head, just as confused as he was.

_Ezequiel, are you in there? He thought._

A voice entered his mind, almost making him jump.

_Sub-Zero?_

_I didn't think that would actually work._

_Well it does, we're linked in the brain._

_Ah, how does that even work?_

_Like I said, we're linked in the brain, we know each _

_other._

_That's pretty creepy._

_It might feel like that at first, but you will need me once we leave your dimension._

_What do you mean by, leaving?_

_It's hard to explain, it will be much easier if I tell you _

_front and center._

_Yeah, that's what I wanted to talk about, we need to break the news to the rest of the winglets because you erased the fight we had out of all of our minds._

_What. I would ne-_

_Ezequiel, you don't need to hide it. I trust my wingmates more than you, despite this weird connection between us. So quit it and get your ass in here._

_FINE, I'll be here in a second._

"Sub-Zero, are you okay?" Blackout placed her hand on his shoulder.

"OHHH, Blackout is making moves!" Hadal yelled, placing his hands around his mouth to emphasize.

"Oh shut up, SeaWing." Cataclysm hissed. "SOME of us are trying to catch a few winks."

Sub-Zero knocked himself out of his trance, "Yeah, yeah! I'm fine. He assured her. "But if I am correct, then he-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ezequiel warped into existence, the air around him forming into darkness. Two back legs swirled into existence, his physique a scavenger. With two bulky arms, smaller legs, spectralon colored eyes, and his infamous sickle, decorated with small, serrated edges throughout the blade. The demon landed on the floor with a soft **THUD! **Which was surprising since the monster was twice the size of all the other dragons.

"This, my friends, is Eze-"

Sub-Zero was cut off by Ezequiel himself.

"I am Ezequiel, Demon of Chaos and Death. Use the full name, thank you very much. No nicknames."

The entire room was silent, even Hadal had shut up. _No way. He finally shut up! _

The silence was cut with full blown panic. Cane had passed out instantly, Hadal had pulled out one of the stone headed spears from a small compartment. And Audun began to shriek. Ezequiel instantly shot up his hand, sending a small layer of darkness to wrap around Audun's mouth, rendering her silent. Even though the spear Hadal was holding could put a decent sized hole in the heart, he clearly did not know how to use it properly, and was shivering with fear.

"I've got a spear and I know how to use it, back up!" Hadal said, in a shaky voice.

Ezequiel laughed, which was more like a whisper-laugh. Instead, he continued to advance. Hadal, true to his word, stabbed a hole through the demons abdomen. Ezequiel pulled it out of his skin, or whatever it was made of, like a claw through a strawberry, and once he pulled it out, the open area reformed.

"What the hell?" Hadal said in awe, mixed with fear. Ezequiel frowned and tore the spear out of his hand and crushed the wood, dropping the pieces on the ground. Hadal fell backward, pressing up against the wall. Ezequiel growled menacingly, but went backward and sat on Cataclysm's bed.

"Hello, um.. that's my bed, so get off!"

The demon rotated his head in a 270 degree spin to look directly into the SkyWings eyes. Cataclysm fell back in horror. "Dragon, I really don't care, so cooperate before I beat you for the second time."

Cataclysm growled as she left the bed and sat on the floor. "Damn dirty demons…" she muttered.

"Okay, I know you want authority, but you can't act like a psycho." Blackout said. "Bismuth, Bismuth?!" She looked up at the Rainwings bed. He laid there, in a pale, acid green color, passed out. Blackout looked worried, but she knew that he passed out. She immediately tried to make him regain his consciousness.

Sub-Zero rubbed his temples, tired from the day he had to endure. The IceWing tried to calm the two dragons down.

"Guys, I know this is crazy-"

"Crazy?! This is beyond anything you could describe with words!" Audun said, finally able to rip off the cloth made of darkness.

"I assure you, he's not evil, even though he might seem like a hulking monstrosity." Ezequiel grumbled in the middle of Sub-Zero's speech. Sub-Zero looked at him angrily. "MAY seem like a monstrosity, but he isn't evil, I saw him yesterday night. I didn't tell you, mostly because most of you would act like idiots."

The dragons were still baffled, covering their mouths with their talons. Hadal's phosphorescent scales lit up brighter than before. The NightWing placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him an understanding smile, the anxiety began to leave, and he could breathe normally again.

Ezequiel spoke up. "Okay, I'm a demon, I understand that this is weird, so I'm going to keep this short. Sub-Zero, Blackout, Hadal, and Bismuth will be leaving off with me to a place called B-42069, also known as Earth. The rest of you will be here, including Cane."

"And what exactly is Earth?" Cataclysm asked.

"Oh, this is what I wanted to tell Sub-Zero before. It is a place where advanced scavengers rule. The could kill you in an instant, they are far more intellectual, and have weapons greater than anything you have, and any scavengers that you have here, are nothing compared to the scavengers on Earth. To say it simply, they could destroy all of Pyrrhia and this world if the bridge between them and you would open, which is possible, only by me."

"And why do you want us to help you?"

Ezequiel looked at him as he opened the portal. His hands moved around, some odd light emitted, with a landscape on the other side.

"I will tell you, after you come through this portal."

**Hello! I'm Bizmuth's cousin, you can call me Velocity! Bizmuth hasn't posted anything in like 6 months, so he kind of "hired" me to finish his chapter, so I did and I hope you liked it. I am now going to give a sincere apology for his laziness, since he doesn't feel like doing this. Secondly, A new series will be starting in the same universe as Black Ice, with the characters who happened to have the least development. Mainly Audun, Cataclysm, and Cane. so watch out for that one, which will be completely by me. I will also be helping him write the story whenever he is Burnt out, and when he is having exams, so history is not going to repeat itself yet again with a "no response for five months" deal.** **ALSO, he IS GOING to apolagize, right now actually**

**A/N: Bizmuth here! And no, I will not bombard you with some dumb excuses. My brain is so fucking stupid, to the point where I'm too lazy to even fucking write. Sorry for this inconvenience. Also, a great thanks to my cousin, who helped me finish this chapter, and remember to follow his story, as there will be two alternate adventures, as Sub-Zero, Ezequiel, Bismuth, Blackout and Hadal will be going to Earth, and Cataclysm, Cane, and Audun will be in Pyrrhia, fighting…..all will be revealed in the next chapter. Goodbye, and hope you liked this chapter!**

**Velocity: I think you might realize something about this chapter, just saying, oh and, Hi! I'm Bizmuth's cousin! This will be the stepping stone for the series I'm writing, can you spot it? Also the next chapter isn't going to take a damn decade. **

**Bizmuth: Hopefully. Just kidding.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_**FLASHBACK**_

Frost looked around in confusion. He was shivering in fright and shock. What his mother had said for him to do was incomprehensible and cruel to the mind of a small dragonet.

"Mommy! Where are you?" the dragonet screamed, tears filling up in his eyes. The poor thing's mind was still spinning and struggling to grab onto some stable and coherent thoughts.

"Mommy! I'm serious. Where are you? Tell me where you are!"

_**Knock! Crash!**_

Adrenaline pumped through the dragonet's veins. _It's time. This is what mother wanted me to do. I must do this for her._

Five mean looking IceWings burst through the door. Frost immediately opened his mouth and shot his frostbreath at one of them. The IceWing screamed, blinded. Frost clawed at the temporarily disabled IceWing, eventually landing a lucky shot and pierced the IceWing's throat. Blood guzzled out and coated Frost's talons. Frost was horrified.

He felt a sturdy talon grab his neck, and it constricted him. He wiggled and struggled, trying to break free. He was thrown onto an ice pillar. The pillar cracked a little, and a painting of him and his mother fell onto the ground.

"Come here you little twat." The soldier growled. Picking Frost up by the throat, he came to eye level with him, growling deeply. "So, this is the assassin's son, huh?" breathing deeply in his face.

Raising his claws up, he prepared to quickly slit Frost's neck, a quick and painless death.

Frost was hopeless, held in a tight grip with over 4 soldiers around him. He shot a glance at the broken framed picture.

_No! I won't give up, for mother's sake! Come on IceWing, bring it on! _ Frost sent his claws flying, slashing the eyes of the intruder in a desperate attempt to escape. The dragon screeched and threw Frost against the floor. Quicker than a SkyWing, he leapt up and bolted to the door. An IceWing blocked him from his exit and Frost screeched to a halt. He scanned the room frantically to find another exit or some sort of small hole he could squeeze through.

"Sorry little buddy, you're dead," He grinned.

Frost, whipped his head side to side, grabbing the nearest knife he could reach.

"You think that's going to stop me?" He snickered. But in a sudden flash of ice enveloped the room, the soldier crystallized. Frost's face went from panic to sudden relief, Alpine was here.

The IceWing jumped through the door, his claws steadying himself. Alpine let a low growl, and the remaining soldier went into a battle stance.

Get out of here, Frost." Alpine said in a low voice.

"Bu-" Frost tried to argue.

"Now!"

Frost obeyed his uncle's order and set off running, all the while hearing crashes and dishes breaking behind him. But he would never try to stop running.

_This is what mother would want. I've just got to get to a safe place to recuperate. _Frost ran as fast as he could, tripping over the piled snow, and cutting himself from the sharp ice. The strong winds weren't really helping him either, as it was pushing his tiny legs back. He panted and slowed down to rest. His pin-point hearing picked up disturbances, and he looked up.

The IceWing soldier dive bombed him, pinning him to the floor. A bluish glow shot up his throat, signifying the frostbreath buildup. Alpine dove out of the blue, smashing into the soldier and clawing at his face. Frost steadied himself up and started to run, but as the force of the tackle had dislocated Frost's ankle, he began to limp. It took all of his willpower not to scream and use the remaining energy he had left to escape. He tried to fly, but the harsh blizzard prevented him from taking flight. He could barely see his own feet in the snowstorm. The soldier punched Alpine in the throat, stunning him, even if just for a moment, and lunged at Frost. Frost sidestepped his attack and slashed his face, and the soldier screamed in pain. However, the soldier went for the killer blow, slicing Frost's neck clean with his jagged claws.

Frost collapsed over, blood guzzling out. Frost's eyes began to tear up. He couldn't fight it. He was going to die.

_I failed my mother, I failed her, I had one job and I failed it, _he thought weakly. _Hopefully mother can get my brother to safety._

And then the darkness enveloped him.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

_Third person point of view, limited to Sub-Zero_

"Wait, so you want me to go through that?" Sub-Zero pointed at the floating ball of mist, just large enough for him to crawl through.

Ezequiel looked at him like he was crazy, "Of course, that is the only way to know."

Blackout looked at him incredulously, "That doesn't make much sense. We're supposed to know what we're messing with."

Bismuth's teeth chattered. "Yeah, I don't want to know anything about that until i've done some tests on it to see what these variously diverse chemicals are," he intoned. "If I analyzed it, we could find the chemicals and ingredients necessary in order to facilitate one of these on our own, instead of relying on you to make these portals. Think about it. The maneuverability between worlds. It would make whatever mission you want us to do much easier, don't you think?"

"There's the nerd going off again," Hadal said jokingly. Bismuth rolled his eyes.

"You actually have a good point, RainWing," Ezequiel stated. "But it is of utmost importance to secure the connection between you and the other worlds. Additionally, we must keep this information that I have disclosed contained, as we don't want any unwanted guests knowing about this."

The cave was silent for a moment.

"That...sort of makes sense." Blackout stated, slowly.

"I knew you would be smart and compliant enough. It is an important quality to have while we embark on this important mission."

"Can you just get on with it? No need to speak so eloquently. It's annoying," Hadal said, irritated.

Ezequiel didn't answer. The silence was interrupted by Cataclysm.

"Hey! You said those dragons could go through. What about Cane, Audun and me?" Cataclysm asked, a deep sense of distrust to the demon imbued in her voice.

"I am glad you asked. I sense a large-scale threat happening in the RainWing forest. I do not know what it is, but it is related to the NightWing….incident," Ezequiel said carefully. "Your mission is to find the source, neutralize it, and report to me immediately. I'll take care of the aftermath. I sense something, someone vile that I must dispose of."

"You just say these things, people or objects or whatever the hell you want to destroy. You're separating our winglet too. How are we supposed to know that you don't have evil intentions and are just using us as your little pawns?" Audun said suspiciously. She growled at Ezequiel, further showing her distrust towards the otherworldly being.

"Don't forget, he also wants Blackout, Hadal, Bismuth and Sub-Zero to go through the portal first and then only tell them his intentions, or plans. Seems suspicious to me. We shouldn't trust him," Cataclysm said, eyeing all her wingmates.

"Listen, as adorable as your concern and suspicions are, do not forget I could kill you in an instant. All of you are beneath me. If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done it by now. And regarding the 'using you as pawns' part, do you really think my first choice would be asking a bunch of normal dragons to help me on such an important and secret mission?" Ezequiel said harshly. "Wouldn't I have asked my demon companions instead, first? Use that little pretty head of yours next time," he said condescendingly. Smoke billowed out of Cataclysm's snout.

_She could literally pass for a volcano. Sheesh, _Sub-Zero thought.

"All right, let's settle down," Sub-Zero said loudly. He placed himself between Cataclysm and Ezequiel.

"She is pretty though." Hadal winked at Cataclysm. She rolled her eyes.

"She does bring up a fair point though, we don't know if you have evil intentions or not. I can't trust you, Ezequiel," Sub-Zero said, his tone bold and affirmative.

Ezequiel looked into his eyes, the gaze almost hypnotizing Sub-Zero. He shivered all the way down to his bones due to Ezequiel's powerful gaze. "I know why though."

Sub-Zero looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I know why you have trust issues," he pointed at every other wingmate. "even though you don't show it, you don't fully trust anyone in this room other than the NightWing. You don't trust anyone because your parents neglected you as a child, even though you have a miraculous ability, your parents had better ones. You believe if you don't let many people in, it's less possible you will feel the pain when they hate you."

Sub-Zero was ready to lunge and attack him relentlessly, as he was right on everything he said. Sub-Zero's eyes teared up, and without hesitation, he shot a blast of ice shards into Ezequiel's body. He thought of sending a second flurry before he stopped himself, as hard as it was. He couldn't snap like a little, immature dragonet.

"This conversation is done, right now." Sub-Zero said with a wavering voice. Ezequiel glared.

"Tell me when you dragons are ready and mature enough to go through," Ezequiel said, while eyeing Sub-Zero intensely while stating the last part. He then disappeared out of existence in a single black poof, along with the portal. The room was dead silent, not even Hadal said anything. Blackout, with hesitation, tapped Sub-Zero's shoulder. "You okay?" she asked sympathetically.

For a moment, Sub-Zero's expression softened, then he realized it. He cared way too much for this dragon, and as much as he hated to admit it, Ezequiel was right. No matter how much he hated the demon for saying it, he couldn't deny that he was stating the cold, hard facts.

His expression then turned into a glare. "I need some time alone." He said firmly. He then shot into the sky, beating his wings with more force than he ever did before.

Blackout flew right behind him, Sub-Zero growled deeply. His emotions took over his thoughts. He was embarrassed and infuriated, and it hurt to yell at her. "What part about alone didn't you understand?!"

Blackout was still behind him, "I just want to talk, please," she begged. "I'll leave you alone after a few minutes, I promise."

Sub-Zero sighed. He knew he couldn't be mad at this dragon with all his being. He slowed down a little. "Fine, we'll talk, but not here," he said as he aggressively dove towards the rainforest. He landed harshly yet smoothly on a small ledge of the mountain that overlooked the entire forest. The Rainforest kingdom was just north of this place. He came to the ledge slowly, looking at the two moons above and sighed. Blackout landed right behind him, approaching him slowly.

"This is where I go to cool off," he explained.

'That's probably the worst pun in existence," she said, laughing softly.

"You're probably right," he chuckled. The atmosphere immediately turned serious again.

"So, was everything Ezequiel said true?" Blackout asked.

Sub-Zero waited a few seconds before speaking. "Every word of it."

"Why do you only trust me?" she asked, looking at the moons.

"Well, I met you before everyone else." He tried to avoid the underlying truth to the answer that he knew, deep down in his heart.

"You know it's more than that." Her voice turned serious, with a hint of laughter, almost like a hyena.

Before Sub-Zero decided that he needed to answer that question, a blaze of yellow grabbed him by the throat, cutting his airflow. A second fist punched him in the spine and sent him crashing to the ground. As Sub-Zero gasped for breath, a fist collided with his jaw, most likely breaking it. Blackout charged at the figure, throwing a punch.

The figure side-stepped the attack and put her in a headlock. Blackout clawed at the assailant for a minute, before inevitably passing out. Sub-Zero tried to regain footing, but the punch dealt to the spine has temporarily paralyzed his legs. The dragon threw Blackout violently towards the ground and then took interest in the IceWing.

Using all the strength in his body, Sub-Zero unleashed a cocoon of ice all around himself, trying to give himself enough time to recuperate and get ready to fight back.

The dragon flew through it and sent a powerful fist into Sub-Zero's stomach, making Sub-Zero cough in pain. He then saw the missing wing, and realized who the attacker was.

"Oh, not this again." He muttered, before screaming in pain again as he was kicked in the chest. Sub-Zero let out a blast of sharp ice into the dragon's underbelly, but it didn't seem to faze him in the slightest.

The SandWing revealed a large wooden bat lined with metal, "Where is the demon?" he asked in a deep voice, the smoke billowing out of his nostrils. Sub-Zero could make out that his wings were regaining shape _. That's impossible. _Sub-Zero thought. He could also see that the SandWing's teeth had become jagged, with his eyes becoming a pasty white.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sub-Zero said.

The SandWing smiled and brought the bat right upon his ribs. The pain was excruciating, and Sub-Zero coughed out small amounts of blood from his mouth.

Before Sub-Zero retaliated, the SandWing again brought the bat down on his ribs, he heard a small **CRACK! **In Sub-Zero's bones. He groaned in pain.

The SandWing again asked the same question. "I won't ask you again, where is the demon?"

I don't know! He just left okay?!" Sub-Zero shouted, trying to let out a blast of ice in desperation. Spikes went into the large Sandwing's muscular chest, stunning him. Sub-Zero raised up his hand, trying to envelope the SandWing in ice. The dragon recovered in time, grabbed it and snapped it violently, making Sub-Zero scream in pain.

"Lies!" The SandWing shouted and brought down the bat upon him. This process went for about 10 minutes, before the SandWing resorted to torturing him, asking the same question repeatedly with the same intensity of hits dished out.

Sub-Zero could barely see in front of him, the pain was beyond anything he had ever experienced. His powers weren't able to activate since he lost all his concentration and willpower due to the pain. He could make out a faint growl behind him, but he didn't know what he could hear anymore. After the SandWing violently twisted his other arm behind his back, a black shadow ripped through the SandWing's stomach with lightning speed, making the SandWing regurgitate blood and collapse. The black dragon kicked the body away and grabbed Sub-Zero and tried to carry him gently, calling for help.

_Blackout? _He thought. And then, he let the darkness take him over.

Sub-Zero was met with a faint light, before images appeared in front of him. He lifted his hands above his face, they were fine now. He then saw the winglets behind him with Turtle, the animus SeaWing, who had taken the position of healer after Clay had retired.

"Am I dead?" Sub-Zero asked in a parched voice.

"No, you're not, but we sure thought so." Turtle chuckled. "You were probably the most wounded individual I have ever seen. I almost couldn't heal you."

Sub-Zero stretched his arms and yawned, the pain almost nonexistent in his body, but a bit of the soreness was still there.

He took off the covers and stepped to the floor, feeling his ribs. He let out a sound of joy to see they were all intact. He thanked Turtle, who advised him to take the rest of the day off. He took the advice and went back to the cave, while the other winglets went off to their classes. He made a small place to sleep, but he had too many questions. He used all of his brain power, trying to summon Ezequiel.

"Where are you, self righteous asshole?!" he yelled in desperation. He then saw a faint patch of darkness turn into a scavenger-like figure, much like Ezequiel, but much smaller to avoid detection.

"What do you want Sub-Zero? Are you finally ready to go through?"

"No, I need you to tell me about that dragon." he said with authority.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ezequiel lied. He faked an expression of confusion.

"Stop pretending to be a clueless idiot, and answer the question."

"What is your place to ask me anything, you tried to assault me!" Ezequiel flared back.

Sub-Zero sighed. "Listen, okay, I'm sorry for doing what I did. I did out of embarrassment and in the heat of the moment. But it was also your fault for telling everyone about that."

"I'm done with arguing. Just shut up," Ezequiel said harshly. "Anyways, about that dragon…"

"Yes?"

Ezequiel paused on his words. "Okay, this might be hard to explain…. Remember that portal I showed you?"

"Yes… what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, when you go through the portal, I would coat you with a protective membrane to protect you from the sudden bodily changes that would follow, and you would also actually pass through the portal. If you didn't have me, you would just return to the same place, but with a progressive mutation in the body."

"Alright, continue." Sub-Zero nodded his head.

"The mutation would start in your progenitor cells, the cells that control regeneration, while also increasing muscle growth. This would come at the price of the deterioration of your sanity, while the mutation would increase growth way beyond any normal dragon, that's when you would begin to see tumors and deformed, lumpy skin. The body would combine at a molecular level, but not pass genetically."

Sub-Zero shook his head in confusion, "What does all this scientific mumbo jumbo mean?"

Ezequiel stared into Sub-Zero's eyes, "You are facing against a demon-dragon hybrid."

Sub-Zero's eyes went wide, "You mean a dragon turns into a demon?!"

Ezequiel shook his head, "No, the dragon's molecular makeup would remain, but the demon's internal power would corrupt the cells, making it a split 50/50, meaning that they would retain both the characteristics. The DNA and RNA would change, allowing for the powers of us demons to manifest itself into the cells. Additionally, this would allow existing cells to multiply rapidly, still having the powers. Thus, they are the second most powerful beings in this universe. However, they cannot control or watch over the universe. That is only learned when you are initiated into 'The Council,' which is a fancy word for becoming a demon. This is unbeknownst to everyone, as it is a special mantra. Thus, it cannot be carried into the genetics of us demons. They also no longer have a fully functioning brain, being that they retain the three basic internal functions of any living creature, breed, survive, and eat. They also retain some sort of intelligence, evident by the SandWing remembering you, and asking you those questions about me, which shows good memory. However, this is limited and they are more primitive than the common folk dragons. But there is one differentiating feature that hybrids lack, they can still be hurt or temporarily incapacitated, since the body still needs to heal. However, each time it is hurt, it causes different mutations in that body part as a way to survive. But they can't be fully killed."

Sub-Zero breathed heavily, "Okay, that is a lot to take in. First, you need to go talk to Bismuth about that shit because I didn't understand any of the scientific mumbo jumbo you just said However, I understand the gist of it. Secondly, why is he after me?"

Ezequiel frowned, "I just wasted so much talking. Now I'll have to repeat it to your friend. Anyways, he's after you because he, well, wants to find out where us demons reside and become one himself, but he also wants revenge, since he blames you for hurting him. Regarding him attacking Cane, he did that because he's a devoted follower of the NightWing's political ideas that I sense will bring great peril to the rainforest. This ideology is called Nationalism. Except, he is too much of a nationalist. This means he thinks that his tribe is superior."

"Seems similar to Hadal," Sub-Zero chuckled.

"Let me finish. His family was murdered by MudWings during the war, when he was just a regular SandWing. He became a hybrid due to my lifelong enemy's doing. More on that later. It would be smarter to bring you all collectively and tell you all together. Anyways, he is more nationalistic than Hadal. Coined by the more advanced worlds, which is the one that i'm taking you to, the ideology he follows is called Nazism, which came into existence after a bloody war was waged. This was because some short scavenger with a silly mustache proclaimed he was the leader of the country and that certain races of people, which are like the classification of SandWings and Icewings in this world, are inferior to his race. That's essentially your explanation."So, how are we going to defeat something that can't die?' I hear you asking. There is one you're fortunate to know. In the first 3 stages, his progenitor cells havent been fully corrupted, meaning that he can't heal as fast as he is being destroyed, meaning there are two things that can destroy him faster he can regenerate; acid and fire. If we burn him fast enough, he will completely die. Since he won't have anything to regenerate off of. Same goes with acid. We need to find him and kill him, FAST."

Sub-Zero's head was spinning, "Wait, why can't you kill him?" he asked.

"Demons can't kill other demons, even hybrids, against our original code. However, there is a special pardon that can be given by Siroth, our leader. But we have a bigger enemy to face than this fake demon. That is when I will request the pardon. I will not waste this for some demon wannabe."

"I don't care what code is hauled out of your ass, you are the only one who really stands a chance. You tell your leader that there's a fucking hybrid monstrosity on the loose trying to kill dragons!"

"Listen, I appreciate your enthusiasm and persuasion skills, but this is out of my jurisdiction. If I kill another demon, which is after I have been granted the special permission, I will be banished from the Legislation, Leimloch, the ancestral home of the Demon race, and cease to be one of them. I will then have to roam the skies as an ordinary spirit in the afterlife. I am sure you understand what it is like to lose your old life. This is my fate. My life. I was taken into Leimloch. I cannot lose that. I hope you understand….brother," Ezequiel ended with wistfulness and a touch of a dark, deep tone.

"Wait, brother?!" Sub-Zero said in confusion.

"Yes, we are, you wouldn't remember though, you were just an egg before I died. This is why I am now a demon. I will reveal more later. Time is of utmost importance."

"Wait, this means my mother, really isn't my mother?!" Sub-Zero exclaimed.

"Of course not, what did you think?! How could two SkyWings have an IceWing child!?" he smacked his palm against his forehead.

"Considering my SkyWing parents had powers, I assumed it was because of those that I came into being as an IceWing," Sub-Zero said foolishly. He scratched his head in embarrassment.

'It is alright, brother." Ezequiel placed a hand on Sub-Zero's shoulder to comfort him. Ezequiel looked around wearily, "I can't talk anymore, I have to go. We might draw suspicion. Goodbye brother. Call me when your friends come back. We must embark on our mission at the quickest time possible." Ezequiel disappeared in a black poof, leaving Sub-Zero all by himself in his cave, to ponder on his thoughts. He looked outside. Classes were about to end, as the sun was about to set. He had talked to Ezequiel for at least an hour. Thankfully, the soreness was gone. But he felt sick to his stomach, and had felt a chill run up his spine from what he had just been told. It was a lot of information spewed at him at such a short notice and time.

It was almost overwhelming the amount of thoughts that were spinning in his mind. Sub-Zero took in several deep breaths to calm himself, before laying back on the floor and resting. It was the only thing he wanted to do. He eventually dozed off to sleep.

He was awoken to stomps that he heard, he jumped up and readied his attacks in a quick reflex. He then just realized that his wingmates had returned from their classes. _Am I really that on edge? _They came into the cave and asked Sub-Zero if he was okay, patting him on the shoulder. Even Cane gave him a nod. Blackout gave him a smirk and went to bed. He really did owe her though, since she literally saved his life. Right before he was going to bed with Blackout, he stopped himself. He heard a crunch in the bushes, he readied his claws. Ushering the other dragonets to ready for an attack. After standing there for at least 5 minutes, until the other dragonets called it off and went back to sleep. Sub-Zero did the same, thinking it was just him being paranoid.

The Sandwing then launched out of the forest, smashing into Sub-Zero and planting him into the ground. Stone chunks flew everywhere, leaving Sub-Zero dazed and everyone else in a state of disarray. The hybrid raised its right claw connecting only inches away from his face by Sub-Zero dodging the attack. Sub-Zero concentrated and created a sheet of ice covering the hybrid's face, making his grip loosen a little. Using that vital time, Sub-Zero pushed the dragon-demon back and continued to coat his entire body in ice, encasing him.

Blackout lunged forward and punched the dragon in the face, the ice shattering, making the Sandwing fall over, stunning him. Cane then picked up a spear and stabbed him in the thigh, which was completely out of character. The hybrid screamed and threw him against the wall, making the wall crack. Audun lunged, dodging the wild claw of desperation and stabbed him with her barb. His cry had made sure that the poison was working. The hybrid sliced Blackout across her snout while he walked back in pain.

_This is it. My moment. _Sub-Zero roared furiously, seeing his friends unconscious or wounded. Sub-Zero encased the Demon-Dragon in a layer of ice, leaving his body exposed. The hybrid growled at him helplessly. He tried to break free but the ice was simply too strong, as it was cooled to extreme temperatures. Sub-Zero conjured an ice axe, and in a fit of raw fury, brought down the blade on the hybrid's exposed neck. The axe went clean through, separating the hybrid's head from its body. Sub-Zero was breathing heavily, fully aware that the hybrid would not die, but would take weeks to recover, as evident in the information given to him by Ezequiel.

To everyone's surprise, it stood up for a second, its body elongating, more spikes formed, before it collapsed on the floor again. It seizured heavily before finally stopping. For good measure, Sub-Zero froze the head completely, to supercool temperatures, before holding it in his palm and smashing through it with his fist. The head shattered into small icy pieces, none of the blood or brains staining the floor as it was completely frozen. He then proceeded to dispose of the body in the rainforest burying it under one of the gargantuan-sized trees, where no one would find it.

Sub-Zero flew back to Jade Mountain. He arrived ten minutes after. As he arrived, the cave was silent. Audun, Bismuth and Blackout looked at him in disgust. Hadal just stood there, completely in shock and just stared at him blankly. Cataclysm was the only one to pat him on his shoulder and smile at him.

"You did the right thing, despite the, well, pretty violent measures you took. I'm not mad. Don't worry," she said reassuringly. Sub-Zero twined his tail with hers.

"I thought you hated me. You know, after the fights we got into. Anyways, you don't know how much this means to me. Thank you."

"Hate is a strong word, Sub-Zero. I don't hate you." Sub-Zero untwined his tail and walked away.

He checked on Cane who had a pulse but was still unconscious. Ezequiel summoned behind him, this time in his original form. But his face was no way overjoyed or even mundane. He was angry.

"You," he began, "are the biggest idiot I have ever met. Did you listen to a single word I said?!" The demon exclaimed.

Sub-Zero became defensive, how was it his right to yell at him?!

"He just defended himself and his friends from a crazy dragon!" Cataclysm said, taking his side. "I'd like to see what you would've done! But noooo," she said tauntingly, "you bravely hid and after Sub-Zero defeated him, you appeared and proceeded to shout at him. Seems like double standards to me."

Ezequiel sighed. "The mutative gene had taken him over! That was our last chance to kill him, and you blew it!" he punched the wall, making it crack.

"Wait, he isn't dead?!" Hadal whispered. This was the first time he spoke in the last 10 minutes. He was still blankly staring at the wall, what very little concentration he had was focused on the conversation.

_It was truly wonderful to hear his silence for even such a short period of time._

"No, he's unkillable, at least for now." Ezequiel said with frustration in his voice. "He's regenerating much faster than I had expected. He's probably much stronger now than ever, since you took out his brain, so when it grows back, his entire brain will mutate sporadically. This means you will mess with a highly intelligent monster, most likely."

"But that's physically impossible, that's not possible even if his progenitor cells were out of control!" Bismuth yelled.

"Bismuth, somethings aren't explained by science, but I think you will know more about what Ezequiel will explain to you than anyone," Sub-Zero said calmly.

Bismuth nodded, and Ezequiel began to explain what he said to Sub-Zero.

Sub-Zero proceeded towards Blackout, who just stared at him in shock.

"Listen, Blackout. I didn't know what to do, alright? I saw him hurt yo-I mean our wingmates, so I did whatever came to my mind. It was pure reflexes, alright? I wasn't able to think clearly. It's called a fight-or-flight response. A little something I learned from Bismuth, though he goes more for the flight response," Sub-Zero said jokingly, trying to break the ice. "I hope you can forgive me. Just...think about the situation, at least for a few minutes. Alright?"

A few minutes passed. Blackout stood there, a pensive look on her face. "I don't know, not now. First you freak out and nearly get killed, now you kill someone else! I don't know you anymore! You also killed him in the most gruesome way possible! I mean, decapitating him was alright, but what was the head smashing about!?"

"What was I supposed to do?!" he yelled angrily. "That was the only place I could think would end him!"

"Judging by what Ezequiel said, you knew he wouldn't die! You didn't have to do that in the first place!" Blackout growled angrily.

"He was going to kill me! What did you expect me to do?! Slap him in the face and expect him to go away? Or kiss him goodbye!?" Sub-Zero objected.

"That argument is flawed! You killed him by decapitating him! The head-smashing was useless! Did you even notice how bloody and horrifying it was to see you do that!?"

"I don't, but I sure as bloody hell I enjoyed every moment of it! And don't forget; I'm the one who saved you!"

"Saving everyone is beside the point! Everyone knows that! While I appreciate the fact that you saved me, you lacked any kind of decency! Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"I'm not! I did the right thing by killing him!"

"You sure did the right thing, but not in a good way! Why can't you get that through to your head! Look at all your wingmates. They're shocked. All of them," Blackout yelled. Sub-Zero saw the shock and fear that they were in. He would feel guilty and try to comfort them, but his anger was much too great. His emotions were overshadowed by his unparalleled anger.

"I'm so sorry for saving you! I would like to see you try to defeat that hybrid! But no! All you did was get clawed and you didn't do anything after that! You were useless! I don't want to hear you talk! I bet you couldn't have defeated him. You're pathetic," Sub-Zero growled.

And that's when it hit.

**SLAP!**

Sub-Zero tenderly placed his talon over his cheek. It was blue and warm. He looked at her in anger and shame.

Blackout pulled her hand back, her eyes bloodshot with hatred. She turned around and simply walked away.

"I thought I could trust you. You were the only dragon I related to the most. The most innocent. Guess I was wrong." She whispered under her breath. No one could hear her.

"You know, Ezequiel was right, I was smarter before. I shouldn't have trusted you. After saving all of your lives, you repay me with a slap. Not only have you hurt me, you shamed me in front of all of our wingmates. And who knows who else is listening because of all of this commotion!?" Sub-Zero shouted aggressively, with pain echoing deep into his voice.

Sub-Zero shot one final angry glare at everyone and left.

"Ezequiel was way too right….." he whispered under his breath.

"There goes the power couple," Hadal joked. None of them laughed. Blackout gave him the death stare.

Cataclysm walked over to Blackout, placing a talon on her shoulder. "You know you can't be mad at him forever.

Sub-Zero, without hesitation, threw an ice spear that nearly cut off Hadal's head.

Hadal ducked, the spear missing him and planting into the wall, "Are you fucking insane?!" Hadal yelled at him. "You could have killed me!"

"THAT'S THE LAST STRAW! GET. OUT. OF. HERE. NOW." Blackout growled. "NEVER COME BACK HERE, AGAIN."

"Works for me." Sub-Zero growled deeply.

And then he lifted into the skies.

"Cataclysm," she said, "Remember what you said earlier? I will be mad at him forever. Fuck him and everything he stands for."

Before she could even breathe afterward, a chunk of solid ice nearly hit her in the head. She jumped back and growled, the ice shattering on impact, just large enough to knock her out. Looking up, Sub-Zero had left sight, going somewhere in the far distance.

Sub-Zero flew for at least 30 minutes before landing on a ledge. It wasn't the one he always went to; it reminded him too much of her. His mind was a tornado of thoughts. He sat there for twenty minutes, exasperated. He finally stood up and roared in frustration. He panted heavily.

"THIS IS A LIVING HELL! WHY AM I TORTURED WITH THIS EXISTENCE? WHY? WHY?"

"Why can't you just...MAKE THESE THOUGHTS STOP!?" Sub-Zero roared towards the clouds, his voice breaking from stress. He had never been so angry, so sad, and so helpless at the same time.

He panted heavily, frantically clawing at his head to make the cascade of thoughts stop. He gave up after ten minutes. He felt sore and exhausted, even worse than he felt when he was getting tortured by the hybrid. As he laid himself down to sleep, only one thought stood out from the rest.

_You messed up._

_You really, really messed up._

**Velocity: Hey guys, this chapter had a lot of action with a whole lot of drama. This was my favorite chapter to work on with Bizmuth, hope you enjoyed it!**

**Bizmuth: I agree. I know my schedule is beyond horrendous, but trust me, in all the time that I haven't been writing, I've been formulating more of the story and pathways that the characters are going to take. The fighting between Blackout and Sub-Zero was quite sporadic, but hey, we needed some character development throughout the entire sssstory, and them being Mary Sue characters is never an appealing choice. I hope you all understand. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! **


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

_Third Person POV, Limited to Sub-Zero_

Sub-Zero slept for what felt like days. He took in the smells of the rainforest. The sun was shining bright, the air humid and sticky. The smells of the fauna were sweet, and the ground was soft and fresh with dew. He sat down, curling his tail, blankly staring at one of the tall trees.

_Finally. Peace and tranquility. _

Over the past few days, he hadn't been getting any alone or quiet time. The events that had happened ever since he came to Jade Mountain were, well, overwhelming to say the least. His mind was restless, his claws or wings always twitching. Even his sleep wasn't peaceful; they were usually nightmares of the Demon-Dragon hybrid, or even the possibility of Ezequiel betraying and killing his friends. He didn't know why this dream was so recurring; he trusted him whenever he was awake and his friends trusted him somewhat as well. Ezequiel had saved his life and had given precious information and help. Whatever he did, it always seemed good-natured; even when he was angry. For some reason, his brain didn't agree with that.

He felt an odd sense of calmness about him but at the same time, a hint of guilt and shame, recalled from the fight between him and Blackout. He needed time alone, yet he needed to talk to Ezequiel.

"Ezequiel, you need to talk to me. I've got no one else," he said, alone.

No answer.

Sub-Zero rubbed his temples in frustration. "Come on, you were right, I admit it!" he yelled desperately, having nobody else to talk to.

The demon materialized behind him. The being placed his hands on his shoulder.

"That was some move back there. You do realize you've put a strong distrust of yourself among your wingmates right? Everyone except Cataclysm hates you. Even the NightWing….sorry to say this, brother, but she never wants to see you again, those being her exact words."

Sub-Zero's wings drooped. Blackout was the one he trusted, the one he liked the most. He felt the same pangs of guilt and sadness hit him from all sides when his parents said he was a mistake and they didn't want to associate with him anymore.

"But, you were in the right, but they don't think of it that way."

Sub-Zero looked back up at the being, "You really think so? You think she will ever try to talk to me?"

"Dragons are living beings too, brother. They will need time to recuperate. You were pretty harsh. I do not doubt that both of you will make up. It'll take time."

"How long?" Sub-Zero asked, looking up at the demon, hope glinting in his eyes.

"Time is the only thing that can mend all wounds. Give it time, be patient."

"Stop speaking in verse." Sub-Zero rolled his eyes.

Sub-Zero heard a sudden snap in the bushes, with Ezequiel quickly proofing out of existence.

_Are you kidding me? Why can't you protect me for once? You're immortal!_

Sub-Zero kept his eyes on the figure, realizing that it was jet black in color, much darker than Blackout. He kept his eyes on the figure, observing its movements. The figure then shifted into a monster much bigger than Ezequiel, a demon.

The being made a demonic grin towards the IceWing, curling its hand into a fist, and stood bipedal.

"What the fuck is this?! Can I seriously just have a break from all these creatures trying to kill me? My life knows no peace!"

The demon grin turned into a frown as he looked behind Sub-Zero. He himself turned around.

Ezequiel stood up fully, his body three times the size of the one before. The demon grinned once again and grew in size, this time being larger than even Ezequiel, towering over the trees.

Ezequiel glared at him, "You have no right to be here," he boomed.

"Oh, Ezequiel. So on edge and empathetic. You know, it really doesn't suit your look," The demon laughed, dwindling with the dagger in his hand. Ezequiel just glared.

"You cannot give information to these weak, pathetic mortals. Mortals cannot participate in our affairs. You know that. It's Code 34 in the legislation. You read it over and over. Poor, poor you, you were always so careful. Shame to see it go away so abruptly," the demon laughed hysterically.

"I don't need your pity, sniveling worm," Ezequiel growled. The demon ignored his insult.

"Asmodeus warns you and your friends will suffer at the wrath of him and The Council next time. Be warned, Ezequiel. Kill him now, and you won't face charges."

Ezequiel growled, "That's not up to him, you Jol'gomuth ass kisser. I have enough tricks and evidence up my sleeve to banish him and take him to trial in front of The Council."

"Bold statement, Ezequiel. A pity it will never come to fruition," the demon chuckled.

"Perhaps I can change your mind."

"Oh, I see...let's get on with it then, I suppose? Don't want to keep the audience waiting." the demon said delightedly, pointing to Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero knew what he was doing. He was playing mind games so he would have an edge in the fight. He wanted to go warn his brother, but the imminent threat of certain death prevented him from drawing attention to himself. The demon cracked his knuckles, echoing to the point where it rattled his bones. The trees swayed at the loud sound, and the chattering sounds of animals stopped for a moment, as if they were scared that something was coming to eat them. Sub-Zero clapped his talons over his ears.

Sub-Zero was smart enough to know where this was heading. He quickly dove through the bushes and dashed away.

The demonic entities glared at one another, each one of them readying their own attacks.

Before the demon could react, Ezequiel threw a jab, stunning the demon, giving Ezequiel enough time to conjure a spear, and stabbing him through the back. The demon gritted his teeth and sent a counter kick, sending Ezequiel flying through the forest. Ezequiel collapsed into the floor, displacing the roots of many trees. They groaned eerily as they fell to the ground with a thud. Ezequiel grabbed two fallen trees off the floor and used his demonic influence to make their leaves into razor-sharp spines. He charged the demon, dodging the first wild haymaker, and bashed the tree against his head.

The tree shattered on impact, making the demon stumble back. Ezequiel used the spines and stabbed him in the stomach, making the demon grunt in pain.

The demon, now enraged, balled his hand into a fist and brought it down on Ezequiel's head, making the being collapse on the floor.

The demon grabbed Ezequiel by the neck, lifted his head up, and brought him down on the floor, again and again. The earth rumbled, while Ezequiel tried to get an advantage of some sort.

Conjuring a dagger, Ezequiel stabbed the demon's knuckle, slicing down the index finger. The demon pulled back his hand in pain, then was kicked in the stomach by Ezequiel.

Ezequiel jumped up and jabbed the giant in the throat, and then in the abdomen. The demon hunched over in pain, with Ezequiel jabbing him at the sides. The demon eventually caught one of his attacks, spitting fire and growling. The demon threw all of his force with a punch in the chest, ripping off Ezequiel's arm and sending him into the air.

Ezequiel crashed through the forest, rolling down the small hill and finally suspending at the bottom, unmoving. The demon grinned and jumped next to Ezequiel.

"Well, the traitor is dead for now. All I need to do now is to find that pesky IceWing," he said, his face contorting in a wicked smile. Just at that moment, Ezequiel used the sickle he always kept, slowly getting up and sprinting behind him, before beheading the demon.

The corpse sprayed liquid flames, coating the rainforest like it was a thick blanket. Animals screamed in desperation and only a few moments later, dying from fire on the ground. All trees and plants caught fire and turned to ash and died. This part of the rainforest was completely unrecognizable. As the corpse withered into dust, a high pitched sound rendered Sub-Zero unconscious.

Sub-Zero awoke to being next to a small fire that Ezequiel had made. He was under some blankets, with a delicious aroma of a deer being cooked above the fire. He took in the smell, inhaling deeply, making him drool.

"Hungry, are you? It won't be ready in another 10 minutes. Rest well, brother," Ezequiel said, his back against Sub-Zero.

He still couldn't wrap that around his mind; the word brother. He would have never thought of it ever in his life that a demon would be his long-lost sibling.

_I wouldn't have thought that demons or anything even remotely like this would be in my life._

_How the tables have turned._

Ten minutes passed, as he pondered his life over and over. Ezequiel offered him the deer, and Sub-Zero ecstatically ate it in just a few bites. He didn't realize he hadn't eaten anything for days.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Sub-Zero said, still licking his lips.

"Eating is one of the few commodities demons lack, but mortals relish. Nor can I eat, I cannot taste either."

"That's pretty creepy, can you even sleep?" Sub-Zero asked.

"Our sleep is not unlike your sleep, Sub-Zero. However, we lack dreams. All of these materialistic figures such as taste, dreams, greed, and love have all been abolished. It was considered to pollute the minds of us demons, as it was our duty to watch and safeguard this universe and many others like it. You do not know yet that all demons weren't nearly as strong as some others."

"So, what level of strength are you, compared to other demons?"

Ezequiel clicked his tongue. "Compared to other demons, I don't have nearly the strength as others. I am what you would call the runt, since my years as a demon and as a guard of Leimloch are far shorter than some others. I haven't had the opportunity to train and hone my skills for a long time, and now I am what you might call a 'rogue' as I have disrespected the leader of my battalion, Jol'gomuth, a madman of demonic intentions. Literally demonic. As in twisted, evil intentions. He is evil incarnate." Ezequiel paused for a moment, as if for emphasis.

"This is why I asked you and your friends for help. What you and your friends have is a soul. That separates you from other peoples in this world. People with souls are more conscious than other beings, and are the only mortals that have the ability to well, kill demons. As in kill kill," Ezequiel explained, gesturing his neck being cut.

Sub-Zero went into shock, "That thing isn't dead?!"

Ezequiel sighed. "You really don't listen, do you?"

Sub-Zero shook his head, "Hard to understand," he chuckled. There was a few minutes of silence.

"Anyways, Ezequiel, if you don't mind, I need some time to clear my head. Goodbye."

"Alright, brother. Tell me when you are ready to go back." And just like that, Ezequiel disappeared leaving nothing except Sub-Zero alone in the looming, intimidating rainforest.

Sub-Zero flew back to the ledge he rested on last night. He only got about five minutes of time to himself before he heard wingbeats above his peripheral vision.

"Cataclysm," he said, rolling his eyes. She landed right beside him.

"Beautiful view isn't it?" She asked.

"Spit it out, I know you didn't come here to sit with me and comment on the landscape."

Cataclysm snickered. "Not as dumb as he looks. No, I'm asking you to come back. Everyone here misses you, and Blackout has turned into a real mess. She won't let anyone talk about you or even suggest anything."

Sub-Zero laid his head down, "I don't know, you think she'll let me come back, after I almost knocked her out with an ice block and almost stabbed Hadal?"

"The rest have forgiven you. I wasn't mad in the first place, and Bismuth seems to be the most understanding. He wants to talk more about the scientific stuff with you. Hadal is making Bismuth irritated. It's quite funny, actually. Snore snore snore." Sub-Zero laughed. He twined his tail with Cataclysm's.

"Blackout has become dangerously quiet, she won't even talk to anyone. She's really just bitching about the whole thing, it's getting annoying. Sub-Zero, we need you. I cannot force you, but I hope you make the right decision."

"You're right. I can't sit here moping all day. If I can survive demons and demon hybrids, surely I can take some beration from my wingmates."

"That's the spirit," Cataclysm said gleefully. "Race you there!"

Long story short, Sub-Zero lost. Badly. He had arrived two minutes later after Cataclysm, landing at the entrance to Jade Mountain. After receiving some teasing by Cataclysm for being a slowpoke, they finally arrived at the entrance of the cave.

"Maybe I need a bit of a breather. Feeling a bit peckish," Sub-Zero said nervously.

"Just go in already," Cataclysm said, annoyed. Before he could even respond, she pushed him into the cave. Sub-Zero tripped on his front talons and hit his snout on the ground.

Sub-Zero turned around. "Gee, thanks a lot."

Cataclysm smiled sweetly."No problem!"

Sub-Zero noticed Bismuth sitting in the corner instantly perk up with joy.

"Sub-Zero, you're back?! Dude, Hadal is a completely rude individual you know? He keeps sleeping in the middle of my important, scientific discoveries that I have been telling him. Thank the heavens you're back. You also need to get Blackout back, I've been trying everything I used to to try and make her laugh, but she's in a depressed mood all day!"

"Alright, will do." He fist bumped Bismuth before heading towards Hadal's sleeping self. He shook him. No response. He shook him, harder again. Hadal groaned and opened his eyes.

"Sub-Zero?" He said groggily. "Thank the heavens you're back, I can't take the nerd's long monologue of uselessness." He patted Sub-Zero on the shoulder and instantly went back to sleep. Sub-Zero rolled his eyes and laughed. "Nice to see you too," Sub-Zero said and chuckled afterward.

He went to see Audun, who waved at him. Cane just nodded at his arrival, and shot him a small smile.

Sub-Zero closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He walked over and tapped his talon on Blackout's shoulder, who was absentmindedly staring out the window in their cave. She didn't turn back to look at him.

"You're back, huh?" she said blankly.

"Yeah." He paused for a minute.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about everything I did. There isn't a moment where I don't regret and think about what I did. What I said came from a place of anger, not from the heart. I'm truly sorry. Ezequiel told me you wouldn't forgive me instantly. I can respect that though," Sub-Zero said solemnly.

"You're right. But what you did was still morally wrong. I'll still need some time to forgive you completely though. Your words were harsh," she said sadly.

"Oh," he said, wings drooping, "Alright."

Bismuth patted him on the shoulder, "See, I told you that you could talk to her. I know deep down that she still likes you, trust me."

Sub-Zero's wings lifted a bit and he tried to fight the fluttering feeling in his chest. "Really? You think she still likes me?"

"I bet with enough time, she'll like you in different ways," Bismuth whispered teasingly, winking.

Sub-Zero blushed in embarrassment and pinched him. "Shut up." Bismuth yelped in pain.

"So you think you can have your demon friend tell me a little bit more about the portals? I need to take notes. Imagine how much more advanced we could get with all this knowledge! Bismuth, The Greatest Scientist and Inventor of All Time," he said, gesturing the title in the air. Sub-Zero just laughed.

"He's a bit more than my demon friend," Sub-Zero said.

Bismuth raised his eye ridge, smiling mischievously.

"No, no, no," Sub-Zero said exasperatedly. "I meant that he's my brother."

"Mmhm," said Cataclysm, overhearing the conversation. "Sure doesn't act like you though."

"Genes don't control behavior. I wish dragons were smarter." Bismuth sighed. Cataclysm playfully punched his jaw.

"The nerd goes off again." Hadal said in his sleep.

Bismuth glared at him, and a small smile crept across Hadal's face.

"We know you aren't asleep. Just get up already," Cataclysm said, annoyed, looming over him.

Hadal instantly opened his eyes. "Woah, who's this pretty dragon in front of my eyes? Don't you know my eyes go crazy when I see dragons like you as soon as I wake up?" Hadal teased.

_Was that a blush on Cataclysm's cheeks? Ugh, I wish I could see it better. Stupid red scales._

Cataclysm rolled her eyes. Hadal raised his hand and Cataclysm promptly lifted him up.

"Hadal, you're going in too strong, buddy," Blackout said, "You need to take it slow and steady." Blackout laughed and patted him on the head.

"Aren't I right?"

"You sure are." Cataclysm and Blackout high-fived each other.

_Thankfully everyone's back to normal. Finally. _

_Leave it to Hadal to break the ice._

After a busy afternoon of talking, laughs and smiles, and Bismuth's scientific talking and Sub-Zero's additions to that, it was time for the big moment.

"Ezequiel. We are ready," Sub-Zero said confidently, eyeing his wingmates. They all nodded in determination, even the socially awkward Cane. Not long after that, the otherworldly being materialized in his signature form, the tall, black scavenger with his sickle and his white pupil less eyes.

"You are truly ready? This will be a great step." He asked once again to confirm their choice.

Their true win had not been able to be celebrated as a portal opened up behind them, and out stepped a rather large demon, holding a white box, making Ezequiel step back with fear. Another demon stepped through the portal, rather insignificant and overshadowed by the other. The taller one had a rugged stature, a mean looking crossbow in his hand. His eyes were pupil less and a crimson red. His shoulder plates had the disturbing images of tortured souls, while the top of the shoulder plates had three metre long spikes jutting out of it. The top of his gauntlets were golden, and then progressed into this kind of metal. The finger joints on the gauntlets were embellished in gold. His helm covered everything except his face and chin, and the helmet had golden stripes in no particular pattern. His eyes were a dark purple, and long, violet horns extended from the sides of his helm and pointed outward. His chestplate was made of the same metal, with gold in a V shape around his chest. A belt with a golden Demon sigil, with dangerously sharp ends adorned his waist. His boots were like his gauntlets, starting off with gold and then progressing into the type of metal that made up the rest of his armor. The main essence of the demon was inside the armor, making it look like he was formless, and the armor helped shape his body together.

The small demon took his form. Sub-Zero immediately recognized him. He was lean, light, and there was a certain sadistic gleam to his electric yellow eyes. He wore a hood, and a yellow mask in his true form. He didn't have any horns, and the only sort of armor he wore were his gauntlets, which were made of that strange looking metal, adorned with a much yellower, brighter gold. He looked nothing more like a common mercenary. Two oversized daggers were sheathed near his hips. He seemed to always smile, no matter the situation, and always talked so politely, yet always so evil.

"My dear Ezequiel, Jol'gomuth would like to send a message," Ferneus said, stepping forward. Jol'gomuth pushed him away and stepped forward, bellowing. "Ezequiel! You will feel pain, you are no match for me! No matter what your mortals can pull, you will not claim victory against the army that I will force you to fight!"

"And who the hell are you?" Hadal exclaimed angrily.

"Ah, I like that one, silly mortals think differently, always having the guts to question authority." Jol'gomuth cleared his throat and politely said, "Oh, silly dragon, I am the harbinger of death. I am Ezequiel's leader of his legion."

Cane cowered in a corner, his wings over his eyes. "W..what's h-happening?" Cane asked, stuttering and shivering in fear. Hadal tried to help him up, but the MudWing didn't budge.

Hadal whispered, trying to comfort his clawmate. "I don't know. He's just standing there….menacingly!"

The other demon started talking. "Oh, haven't I introduced myself? My bad, how rude of me? My name is Ferneus." He paused and looked around the room for someone. "I remember you, great times we had, were they not?" He asked Sub-Zero. "Sorry to throw your little celebration a little behind, but, as you can see, we needed to spice things up. Hope you don't mind us joining the party," Ferneus said, grinning maniacally.

Jol'gomuth's eyes lit up. "You listen here, mortals, you will feel our wrath. And you will feel so much more with that, we will bury you in FIRE," Jol'gomuth said violently, pulling out his crossbow made of the same black monstrosity that made up all other demons.

"You have no reason to try to stop me, you're too cocky to try. Do not toy with death." Ezequiel said dramatically, grinning.

"You're right, we'll just let this kill you. That is, if you don't have any, well, objections against that," Ferneus said, grinning wickedly and left through the portal, closing behind him. Jol'gomuth's spirit left the body, taking the encasing armor with it.

Two mean looking hellhounds exited their respective portal, with the demon-dragon hybrid yet again flying from the skies and landing next to one of the hellhounds. Each hellhound was almost the size of a full grown dragon, fire blazed from its eyes. Every step it took produced ashes and embers flying into the sky. Its teeth were razor sharp, its eyes bloodshot.

"I know these things. Jol'gomuth always insisted on taking these things everywhere he went. He has a strange affection for these. He believed it was his pet. Truly a shame for him to see all his beloved pets dead. I would almost feel bad," Ezequiel smiled.

"Alright, stop it. You sound too much like Ferneus," Sub-Zero said.

"Too much?" Ezequiel asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Too much," Hadal confirmed.

They all laughed before facing their new enemies.

The dragon hybrid had grown in size, being much larger than it was before. It's eyes were completely white now, with its horns closely resembling the ones of a ram on his head. Blue wisps of fire hung out of its mouth like drool. Its claws were much more jagged than before, and its body began to take a bipedal approach.

It walked closer. "Hello, Ezequiel, they tell me you could help me restore my sanity, is that true?" the SandWing asked curiously. Its voice had clearly begun to turn deep and demon-like.

"Maybe if we discussed the methods that they gave you to restore your sanity, I could very well do so. Just don't attack these mortals, they mean no harm to you." Ezequiel said manipulatively.

The hybrid sent them a glare and shot a hurling fireball from its mouth, with a tint of blue. The dragons jumped the attack and growled heavily.

"You're lying, I can see through you. I have a mind now, thanks to your hotheaded, ignorant friend," he gestured to Sub-Zero. "You want nothing to do with me, nor do you care about my past or what I desire," The hybrid growled. "Call me by my name, it's Desolation."

The hellhounds charged at Ezequiel, seeming to be sent to take out him only. Desolation went to attack the dragonets. Ezequiel easily dodged their lunges. He used his sickle to round up both of them together. He then sent a flying punch to the bone right below their jaw, sending them flying. Ezequiel teleported behind them, and the two hellhounds clawed and bit at him, making him scream in pain. One shot fire out of its mouth at Ezequiel, who made a shield of dark matter.

Ezequiel eyed them intensely while blocking their attacks. This went on for a few minutes. "Aha!" He exclaimed. The hounds had become exhausted and were starting to lose energy. As they panted for a few seconds, Ezequiel lunged and pinched the skin right below the end of their jaw. The hounds yelped in surprise before they lay on the ground, snoring and harmless. Ezequiel finally ditched the shield, and it looked like he had a million cuts and torn flesh. He slowly started to heal himself, and faced Desolation.

Desolation spit fire again at Cane, who jumped the attack and hissed, firing his own, which torched his arm, but was healed. Audun ambushed him from behind and bit him on the neck viciously, her teeth trying to ravage the hybrid's throat. The hybrid screamed in pain and tossed her off. Blackout surprised him, and snapped his front right talon backwards with just her left talon. Using her other talon, she jabbed his eyes with her thumb claw and slammed his head on the ground.

He quickly recovered from his injuries however, and the dragon kicked Blackout over, before stomping on her chest. He sensed Sub-Zero trying to impale him with a spear, and knocked him to the ground with his tail.

A third hound emerged from a portal, this one far more dangerous than all the others, possibly an alpha. Dodging all the attacks Ezequiel tried, the hound bit down on Ezequiel's massive forearm. Ezequiel let out a cry of pain and tore the monster off, taking a chunk of his arm with it.

It scurried to its feet and growled deeply, before charging Ezequiel once more. Ezequiel conjured an axe and swung. It narrowly missed the hound and the axe lodged into the rocky floor. It jumped back with a feral ferocity before biting Ezequiel's knee. The demon yelled with pain and kicked the hound, before grabbing it by the head and throwing it against the wall. The hound began to whimper, before growling and barking. Its mouth began to froth over, and its eyes had a crazed gleam in it.

It roared ferociously and lunged at Ezequiel, but he sidestepped and sliced the hound with his sickle on the side. It tore through its rough hide with ease. He picked up the hound, eyeing it like a meal, and tore off its legs, each one coming off with a huge **SNAP!** and the smell of fresh blood. The hound whimpered in pain. Ezequiel then threw the maimed hound at the wall as hard as he could. The remaining two began to conjoin, even the third's head floating into the mix. The remaining entity was called Ordronok, the gatekeeper of hell itself.

Desolation's eyes were sprayed with venom by Bismuth, while Sub-Zero began to envelop him in ice, he broke free, his eyes still blinded permanently. Bismuth used Ezequiel's information to its fullest. He knew the progenitor cells would be destroyed and they wouldn't have anything to grow to. Sub-Zero nodded in acknowledgement.

_Great job._

Hadal jumped on his back, stabbing a spear into his shoulder. Luckily, with his other senses heightened, Desolation used his now knife-like wings to stab Hadal through the back and toss him off. Desolation pin-pointed his other senses to the fullest, slicing Sub-zero across the chest and kicking him back. Sub-Zero grabbed his ice spear and threw it, stabbing through the hybrid's eye and ripping off half of its face. He screeched in pain and removed it. The part regenerated, along with the eye.

Sub-Zero had realized that he messed up, screaming internally. Demolition, using his other senses, grabbed Bismuth by the face and threw the RainWing against the rough stone wall. Bismuth fell to the ground, unconscious.

Ezequiel had taken the fight with Ordronok outside into the rainforest, with the wind moaning in the dark of night, tossing each other around. Ezequiel tried to keep the three heads at bay by punching, kicking, and stabbing, but to no avail as its rough hide and its three heads constantly blocked his attacks. Ezequiel was quickly losing his energy, and his form became hideous, with deep scratches and bite marks enveloping most of his body. Ordronok slammed into Ezequiel, launching him through the air, making the trees sway eerily as they fell.

The demon landed on his feet, making a few cracks appear on the unstable earth. Ezequiel manifested a sharp, gleaming sword, the edges jagged and uneven. The gatekeeper of hell growled, stomping his feet in desperate anger on the forest floor. The dirt shot out of the ground, enveloping Ordronok in a shroud of dust.

"It's only you and me now, keeper of hell. I will destroy you."

A small smile crept across Ezequiel's face. Ordronok charged, Ezequiel side stepped it and stabbed the sword through the hound's exposed flesh. As the sword pierced through its body, the jagged ends made small yet lethal cuts to its main organs. Ezequiel pulled the sword out with great force, and a tattered, unidentifiable lump of flesh fell to the floor with a wet smack. The hound howled in pain, but maintained its composure and stood upright. Ezequiel used the sword to cut across one of the hound's snouts, the sword tearing through its cheek and striking the jaw, breaking it. It jumped back in pain and slammed Ezequiel, making him stumble over.

Ordronok bit down ferociously on Ezequiel's thigh with the heads it could still use. The demon grunted in pain but used that time to slice off one of the heads with his sickle. The giant suddenly acted like a scared animal, hopping back and forth on its legs and making somber noises. After a minute of this, it layed down on the floor, unmoving.

"Good dog." Ezequiel said, patting its lifeless body on the head. The stench from its corpse was overwhelming. With his demonic influence, he made the body disappear from existence.

Sub-Zero coated Demolition in ice, with him breaking out every single time. Blackout jumped up and sliced him across the neck, with him just shaking it off. Audun snuck up behind him and stabbed a hole deep into the hybrid's neck with her stinger. He yelled with pain, but simply regenerated the wounds. He punched Audun in the face, making her crash over and clutch her snout in pain.

Blackout readied her fire, but was cut short with Demolition kicking her in the chest and made her cough violently in agony. Sub-Zero, in his rage from seeing Blackout hurt, sent a considerable amount of decent-sized icicles into the hybrid's body, pinning him back. Demolition yelped as he pulled them out of his body, the blood not even dripping from his flesh wound as it was too quickly healed. He let a shot of fire shoot out of his mouth, much larger than any dragon could make.

Sub-Zero jumped but not without having his left leg burnt. The air was plagued by the stench of burnt flesh as Sub-Zero collapsed and rocketed towards the rainforest floor. His leg felt like overcooked rabbit, hot and burning, but not hurting as insanely as he thought it would.

_I wonder why that is? That fire wasn't a normal fire. It was definitely way stronger. A regular dragon's fire would be more painful. _He winced as he remembered his mother's punishments that she used to give him, which was when she let her flames lick his back as he screamed in sheer agony. He still had nightmares about that.

Audun pulled out a chakra from her satchel of weapons she always carried around, and threw it precisely on Demolition's forehead. The blades dug itself into the flesh, striking some sort of nerve, stunning him for a few moments. The SandWing also seemed to move more roughly; more artificial than before the wound. Sub-Zero lay crippled on the ground, the stench of burning and open flesh attracting ants, flies and critters he had never seen or heard of before from all sides. The wind moaning and the chattering sounds of monkeys in the trees weren't really helping. Sub-Zero panicked and created a small wall of ice around himself, not much larger than a bush.

He instead concentrated all of his power in his final attempt to freeze Desolation completely. The blast rocketed through the air, making the air cold and dry. It hit Desolation hard, and the ice expanded and enveloped his body and the ground, freezing him close to the temperatures of absolute zero. The ice was jagged and a dark blue tint, something that was very unusual to him, as most of his ice came in shades of white or silver. Demolition couldn't seem to break it free from it, at least not as fast as before. Blackout used all of her power in the one punch, connecting with the ice, shattering Demolition into pieces.

They all panted heavily, Blackout over to Hadal, who was laying there with blood still flowing out of his back. Audun ran over to bring back a cloth to stop the bleeding. Cane picked up Bismuth gently and placed him on the bed. Bismuth was still unconscious, with Cane trying to find cold water for Sub-Zero's leg, which he couldn't use ice on since he used all of his power on Demolition.

_Why can I not use my ice? That's odd. And wasn't the rainforest air humid? Why is it now cold and dry? _

Sub-Zero pondered the conundrum for a few minutes, before slamming his talon on to the ruined soil, making dust fly up into his snout. He coughed heavily and raspily until Ezequiel returned from the forest, still out of breath from the fight. He went over to heal Sub-Zero's leg.

Everyone went on alert as Ferneus stepped out the portal, inspecting his dagger in his right hand. He spun the dagger on his finger, a frown on his face. Ezequiel growled. "Don't you dare try to hurt anyone here, or I will take you out like I took down your leader's pathetic, sniveling dogs," his voice dripping with venom.

"Why the hostility, Ezequiel? Remember all the great times we had together? Doesn't that mean anything to you? Hmm?" Ferneus asked, making a quizzical look. Ezequiel just glared, narrowing his eyes.

"A true pity. I thought both of us became closer," Ferneus said, pointing to himself and Ezequiel rapidly, faking sadness. "Maybe not bosom buddies...but over time, it could have grown into something meaningful," he said wistfully.

"Spit it out, filthy dog," Ezequiel threatened, his voice turning theatrically deep. _Totally unnecessary. Seriously, does he think it's a play or something? Sheesh. _

"I must say….bravo to you all!" He clapped joyously. "Really, you did better than I expected, but… you won't do so well next time!" Ferneus' eyes lit up with white before he stepped back through the portal, closing shortly after.

Ezequiel rumbled, "That was close. I didn't have the power to fight him off. Looks like my act worked."

Ezequiel quickly healed Sub-Zero's leg and the rest of his wingmates' wounds.

"There is no time, we need to leave. Now," Ezequiel said.

"Wait, what about us? We can't defeat Desolation and whatever the hell else will come at us!" Cataclysm said indignantly, pointing to Audun and Cane.

"Here, have this," Ezequiel conjured each Cane, Audun, and Cataclysm one of his demon beheading sickles. "Use these whenever you are in a tight spot, or near death. Use them wisely."

Ezequiel held his head and pointed to each of them. The same black, smooth and viscous demonic material slowly transported in long strips, and fused with them, making their eyes have a certain gleam to them and their body a bit heavier. "I have imbued a part of my essence with your souls. You will now be able to summon me wherever needed. You will also be a bit more resistant to attacks from all calibers." He did the same to Hadal, Blackout and Bismuth.

"Now, these must only be used at the most desperate times of measure. Make sure you don't use them too frequently, or they will break. Demons are the only ones capable of holding the sickles for a long period of time. We are indeed more powerful than you mortals. This creates an energy imbalance and thus it will destroy itself as it doesn't have the energy influx necessary to keep it stable. However, since my essence is imbued within your souls, these should last for a good amount of time." Ezequiel turned back around to Sub-Zero, Blackout, Hadal and Bismuth.

"Now, Sub-Zero, you must go." He created a portal and pointed at it. He took in a deep breath, every dragon looked at each other wearily. _This was the moment._ Sub-Zero first touched the portal with his claw, feeling the landscape beyond the portal. It was an idyllic hillside, the ground wet with dew, the hill devoid of trees. As he fully walked through, he noticed the portal still open, and was able to see the part of the rainforest he had been in, which was burnt and unrecognizable. He noticed a few animals here and there, and seagulls squawking as they flew through the clean, aqua blue sky. He looked down, and he realized the most horrifying thing of all.

He was standing on two legs. His instincts were to check on his wings. Nope. In panic, he tried to run, but tripped over his feet, as he was not used to two legs. His face planted into the wet grass, some dirt splashing onto his face. He looked at his front talons, but now they were small, with five appendages attached. Sub-Zero sighed in relief, as they were not too different from his talons. He was dismayed to find that he didn't have his claws; rather tiny, small crescent shaped growths that weren't very sharp. As he got up, he felt his body. It was covered in a fabric that was light and comfy. His outfit was an icy blue leather tunic that ended at his shoulders. A small, circular badge sat on the left side of his chest, with some kind of black sigil on it. His signature mask that he wore as a dragon came along as well, which fitted around his mouth and was strapped to his neck. His pants were a modest black leather, with him wearing black leather boots as well.

_Do I have fur on my head? I need to check. _

He touched his head, it being much rounder in shape. As he tousled his hair, a silver white strand appeared in his hands. He looked back at the hillside, and found a bench under a tree. Underneath, he saw an old scavenger play with a much younger one, laughing and having fun.

_I'm on Earth. I'm in the world of super-scavengers._

**END**

**Velocity:DUN DUN DUN! What a cliff-hanger! Chapter 6 may not come out for a while, since we pumped these out back to back, but we'll try to get the other chapter out in april or earlier, but that's not a promise. But for now, cya! (insert catchphrase here)**

**Bizmuth: Yep. You saw that right. After months of inactivity, I got my lazy ass to pump out another chapter. A recent review was posted, criticising my story. I just want to say thank you. If not for you, I wouldn't have realized my shallowness. I took his advice and tried my best to incorporate it in a sensible way, so this chapter may be a bit different from the rest. Anyways, chapter 6 will come out in April. I'll probably finish the outline by tomorrow. Also, did you spot the spongebob meme I shoved in there? Enough of me rambling on. Hope you liked this chapter. Bizmuth out.**


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